Easter Sunday balloon displays in Parkview Hills to raise funds for local food bank

While many communities host Easter egg hunts, in Parkview Hills the place to be on Easter Sunday morning (April 20) is Marilyn Crescent where they put on a festive balloon display.

The street, tucked off St. Clair Avenue East just west of O’Connor Drive, features the balloon art in support of the Thorncliffe Food Bank.

“We started this six years ago and it has just ballooned — pardon the pun,” said organizer Patti Callahan.

Scores of East Yorkers visit with their families, in cars or on foot, to see the displays created by Marilyn Crescent resident Angela Gipson.

The idea to fill the street with balloon art started during the pandemic as a way to cheer up the kids on the street. Last year, organizers Callahan, Gipson, and fellow resident Sarah Albany, had the idea to raise money for the Thorncliffe Food Bank nearby.

They collected $150 in donations and filled the entire back of a car with non-perishable food items. The residents hope to collect even more this year.

“It’s lots of fun, and we surprise our neighbours with the balloon displays each year,” added Callahan.

The three residents get the balloon displays up by 6 a.m. on Easter Sunday and keep the balloons out until the end of the day on Easter Monday.

Donations to the food bank can be left in the various boxes and cash boxes on residents’ driveways.