There are few things I love more than a good centerpiece.

A romantic floral arrangement? A tall candelabra? A hurricane with beautiful shells? Yes, yes and yes.

So when my boss came to me one day and asked me for help with a centerpiece, I was all for it.

Then she handed me a piece of paper with a wishlist on it. Gallon Ziploc bags. Granola bars. Disposable spoons. Toothpaste. Our hotel was hosting an event for the local Ronald McDonald House and we needed care packages to serve as centerpieces. They’d be donated after the event.

I was stumped.

I know from my past work as a fundraiser that there are some amazing non-profit themed centerpieces out there. I’ve seen beautiful bowls of food for a Food Bank event. Unique pieces of art made by children of a Boys & Girls Club. But a care package as a centerpiece? That, I hadn’t seen.

I decided to start with the container itself. After going to so many stores and scouring the internet..I found the perfect item at Party City: A red, plastic trifle container. It has a little bit of height and is translucent so you can see what’s inside.

After finding this trifle container, everything else came easily. I focused on getting as many red & yellow items from the Wishlist, since those are the strongest colors associated with Ronald McDonald. Luckily, so many things out there have red & yellow packaging! Toothpaste (lots of red brands), mac-n-cheese single cups (very yellow), Glad storage bags are literally red and yellow.

So I had my red container, red and yellow care package items – I added a yellow ribbon with a gift tag featuring the Ronald McDonald House’s logo and voila – a care package centerpiece worthy of this fundraising event!

Hope this helps inspire you to make a centerpiece for a great cause that speaks to your heart!

L,

Mrs. Alex Paul