Herbst UMC Hosts Easter Egg Hunt

Herbst United Methodist Church hosted an Easter egg hunt on March 23 that was sponsored by Fiberhawk, an internet service company located in Swayzee.

Audra Hicks, the coordinator of the event and a staff member at Fiberhawk, said the Easter egg hunt focused on bringing local businesses together to donate and give back to the community.

“When I started this, I tried to get the local businesses to donate … to give the kids the bigger prizes,” Hicks said. “It’s all for the kids.”

Hicks said she is grateful for the donations and the ability to continue the annual Easter egg hunt.

“The Swayzee Women’s Auxiliary decided about six years ago … they were done,” Hicks said. “My kids went to it when they were young, and I wanted my grandkids to continue, so the owner was gracious enough to allow me to take it over.”

Laura Marine, the pastor at Herbst UMC, said Hicks reached out to her in hopes that the church would host the Easter egg hunt. 

“She grew up in this church, and they were looking for a new venue that would have some indoor space just in case the weather would change,” Marine said. “It worked out pretty well.”

Marine said the event allowed the community to come together in fellowship.

“A lot of times, there are no other places where families can take their children to even meet other kids, especially if they are not school-aged yet,” Marine said. “It is important that the smaller ones get used to being around other children.”

Rachel Bright, an attendee at the Easter egg hunt, said her favorite part of the event was being outside and seeing the kids collect baskets full of Easter eggs.

“It is great to have something like this in our small communities,” Bright said.

Marine said the Easter egg hunt was a great event for all of the families in the nearby communities, and the church plans on hosting it again next year.

“We are looking for ways that we can partner with other organizations to serve our community,” Marine said.

Hicks said the Easter egg hunt had the largest turnout this year due to the generous amount of donations from local businesses.

“It is important to get the businesses out there and get them together to show the community that we are there for them,” Hicks said. “We are giving back to the community.”