Baskets for Believers is looking for volunteers to help make Easter a little more special for children in need throughout Warren County.

Every year since 2005, the Baskets for Believers program has collected Easter baskets for children in need through a partnership with Vicksburg Family Development and the CAP Center. There are more than 200 children in need this year.

The program was started by Ricky and Saralie Johnson and has grown each year from its humble start with a few names on a tree at the senior center in downtown Vicksburg.

This year, description of children who will be receiving the baskets can be picked up by volunteers at First Baptist Church, St. Paul Catholic Church, St. Michael Catholic Church and Hometown Medical.

The descriptions of the children on the Easter tree are in eggs decorated by seventh and 12th grade theology classes at the Vicksburg Catholic Schools and include the age and sex of a child along with a few suggestions of things the child needs.

“Some of the requests we have are for specific age appropriate items that are requested by Vicksburg Family Development,” Ricky Johnson said. “I would say the majority are traditional baskets with eggs, candy and a book about the Easter season.”

The baskets are due the Wednesday before Easter, March 28, and can be returned to the church were volunteers picked up their egg or taken to Vicksburg Family Development.

“Each year the Baskets for Believers, the eggs that identify a child with the age, sex and things they may need, are placed at several churches,” Kay Lee, director of Vicksburg Family Development, said.

“The baskets will go to children up to age 10. It is an awesome and wonderful service for the children in our program. It has gotten to be a special thing for us.”