Why Philly-area residents are paying for people to egg their yards this month

People are paying for their homes to be egged? In this economy?

Yes. But it’s not exactly what it sounds like.

Egg My Yard fundraisers have grown increasingly popular in recent years as more nonprofits, youth sports teams, businesses, and individuals turn to the concept as a way to raise money while spreading some springtime cheer.

For consumers, the concept is simple: They pay for packages, which usually cost about $1 per egg, and provide details to organizers about their properties and the time it’d be best for plastic eggs full of goodies to be hidden around their yards. In the morning, their children awake to the surprise from the Easter Bunny.

“People are just happy to have the convenience of it,” while supporting a good cause, said Kathleen McCullough, who is helping organize an Egg My Yard fundraiser in Delaware County to benefit Upper Darby Summer Stage’s Shooting Stars show choir program.

For organizers, however, bunny-hopping and egg-hiding is hard work.

They buy or crowdsource hundreds or thousands of plastic eggs, candy, and other treats, then fill the eggs with the goodies. They group customer homes by location and create efficient routes.

Then, they do the legwork, hiding eggs outside dozens of homes within a few-hour period on Easter Eve without being detected by the children inside. They navigate property hazards — which some organizers ask participants to disclose in advance — and ensure neighbors and police departments are aware that they’ll be slinking around.

Here are four stories of local Egg My Yard fundraisers across the Philadelphia region.

Where: Glenside and surrounding towns within five miles

Raising money for: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Deadline to sign up: Saturday, April 12

Grace Jenkins heard about Egg My Yard fundraisers last year from a fellow cystic fibrosis mom in Alabama. She had connected with the woman through their involvement in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which raises money for research into the progressive disease, which affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs.

Jenkins’ 2-year-old son, Elliot, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, or CF, at 9 days old. There is currently no cure.

Since the day after last Easter, Jenkins has been planning for her own Egg My Yard fundraiser, stocking up on clearance eggs after the holiday and crowdsourcing local Facebook groups, through which she got about 700 eggs for free.

As of Wednesday, 47 households had signed up.

“We raised over $1,700 so far, 1,700 eggs to hide,” Jenkins said. “I didn’t make a goal because I wanted to gauge interest. And it’s been received pretty well so far.”

On Sunday, she said, a group from a local moms Facebook group will be coming over to help Jenkins and her husband fill the eggs. And the night before Easter, a dozen or so friends and volunteers will help deliver and hide the eggs.

Most of the people who signed up, Jenkins said, are strangers.

Where: Coatesville and Downingtown areas

Raising money for: The Coatesville High School girls’ lacrosse team

Deadline to sign up: Sunday, April 13

Egg My Yard went so well last year for the Coatesville High School girls’ lacrosse team that they decided to bring it back, said Megan Simmons, a parent who runs social media for the team’s booster club.

Their motivation is simple, Simmons said: “It seems like a fun tradition. The girls love it.”

It’s a bonding experience for the athletes, who fill the eggs together and carpool to hide them on Easter weekend.

Last year, they delivered eggs to 25 homes, Simmons said. With 20 people signed up as of Thursday, she thinks they’re on track to surpass that mark.

Where: Haverford, Lower Merion, Springfield, Upper Darby, and Media

Raising money for: Upper Darby Summer Stage’s Shooting Stars program

Deadline to sign up: Thursday, April 17

The Shooting Stars, a year-round show choir program, had a successful Egg My Yard fundraiser in 2021, said McCullough, president of the group’s parent board.

So far this year, she said, it’s been harder to find people willing to part with even $25, the cost of the lowest package.

“With the economy in general, people aren’t spending as much on the extras,” McCullough said. Plus, the number of local Egg My Yard fundraisers has increased in recent years.

So far, she said, they have 12 houses signed up. They’re hoping to reach 50 homes, the number they had four years ago.

Where: Towns near Emmaus, as far south as Quakertown

Raising money for: The Kindness Project, which supports Eastern Pennsylvania foster families

Deadline to sign up: early April

In 2020, when Jenae Holtzhafer organized the first Easter fundraiser to support the Kindness Project, she said she hadn’t heard of any other organizations doing Egg My Yard events.

Two years ago, the group hid 10,000 eggs the night before Easter. Last year, they hid 8,000. This year, it’s down to 7,000.

“The reason it’s going down is because everybody else is starting to do it. People are saturating that market,” said Holtzhafer, founder and director of the Kindness Project. “It’s becoming almost this weirdly competitive event, and it shouldn’t be because it’s all meant to raise money for a good cause. This is likely our last year doing it because of the time and effort it takes.”

After a few hundred dollars in expenses, the organization brought in $5,000 last year, which Holtzhafer said may not be enough to justify the time, effort, and logistical challenges.

“You have all of these homes in all of these places, and for each home you have to know: Where do you want the eggs? Do you have dogs? Do you have security? Are there any dangers on the property?” she said.

“It’s a shame because people love it,” she added. “Some parents just don’t want to take the time” to create an Easter egg hunt for their kids.