Volunteers were up at the crack of dawn setting up for the annual Kiwanis Club of Golden Ears 2026 Spring Plant Sale.
About 15 people were busy unloading more than 1,000 hanging baskets and planters at 5 a.m. for the sale in the parking lot at Ridge Meadows Hospital.
There were baskets for full sun, baskets for the shade, and mixed flower planters for people who can’t put up hooks in their outdoor spaces.
At around 10 a.m. on Friday, May 8, Kiwanis volunteer Dennis Hixson was busy helping Christal Macaulay with three full-sun hanging baskets.
Macaulay was impressed by the quality of the baskets.
“Absolutely gorgeous. And so many different varieties and beautiful colours,” she said.
Lynn Prindle, chair of the plant sale committee with the local Kiwanis club, said many people come back to the sale year after year because of the high quality of their baskets.
They also do pre-sales. This year they sold 37 of their product in pre-sales, raising $24,200.
New to pre-sale this year were baskets of begonias, which were very popular, said Prindle.
“So, we’ll be carrying forward with begonias next year,” she said.
All money raised will be going to youth and elder programs in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
“Kiwanis Club of Golden Ears is 100 per cent volunteer driven and all the money goes directly back into Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows community,” noted Prindle.
They will be using the money to donate towards local programs surrounding food insecurity, seniors, inclusivity in the community, and children and youth.
“If they were building a park, we could do something like donate money to make it accessible,” noted Shelli Silvestri, executive member at large.
“Food insecurity is big for us,” said Prindle.
On Friday the group also delivered a cheque to the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation for $3,500.
The Kiwanis Club of Golden Ears Spring Plant Sale continues Saturday, May 9, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., or until they are sold out, in the parking lot of the Ridge Meadows Hospice Thrift Store at 12011 224 St., Maple Ridge.
Pre-sales pick up on Saturday will take place from 8 a.m. until noon.
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