The Shack Brings West Hills Together For Easter

Easter came early to ​“The Shack” Community Center, as 100 neighbors from West Hills and beyond came together Saturday for a cookout.

Dozens of kids spent the day collecting Easter eggs, catching stuffed bunnies, and filling up on candy.

The event was put together by the Shack’s youth ambassador, Jordan Cunningham, 18, and several local volunteers. 

The event’s candy, toys, and prizes were provided to the center through community donations.

Trever Johnson of Fantastic Foods grilled hot dogs in the Shack’s backyard as kids finished up with the egg hunt.

The kids left with more than candy and eggs. Cunningham’s team of volunteers hid prizes like stuffed animals, basketballs, ATVs and toy cars throughout the field. 

After the egg hunt and hot dogs, families gathered inside the Shack for an ice cream bar that offered dozens of topping for bowls of chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

During the Easter egg hunt, sisters Tatianna, 13, Tinnany, 11, and Tetty, 7, decided to split up to cover more ground and ​“find enough candy for the rest of the month,” Tatianna said. 

The three gathered dozens of eggs, which filled up a total of four bags for the trio. Tatianna also found a stuffed Easter bunny in a basket filled with candy. 

Tatianna searched high and low for her favorite candy, M&Ms. Tetty looked for York Peppermint Patties. Tinnany looked for toys. 

While on a mission for Yorks, Tetty found a shiny golden egg tucked behind a tree. She called out to her sisters, who huddled behind the tree and took a break from egg hunting to open the shiny treasure. 

“Jackpot!” Tetty called out after cracking open the egg and finding $10.

She later found another egg with a dollar in it. That brought her total cash winnings to $11 along with bags full of candy. 

After the event, Tatianna said she looked forward to her family’s Easter dinner on Sunday. 

During the event Cunningham also raffled off several large eggs filled with candy and dollar bills to the youth. 

After the event, children, parents, and volunteers stuck around to hang out in the center’s entertainment room. Smith joined neighbor Corey Merritt in a game of pool while others played Uno, ping pong, and Fortnite on the Playstation.

Cunningham, 18, is a New Haven native and graduate of ESUMS. He got involved with the revival of the community center as a part of his senior year project in 2020. He decided he would partner with Alder Honda Smith to create a community vegetable garden in the center’s backyard. 

Cunningham charged his team of volunteers, mostly made up of friends, with packing eggs with candy and money around 10 a.m.

“Today was bigger than expected,” he said. 

Over the past year Cunningham has helped to host game nights, Friendsgiving celebrations, and a Christmas party at the center for the community. 

Cunningham grew up in West Hills. He said he plans to make a career out of serving his neighborhood. 

He joins other neighborhood volunteers at the Shack Monday through Saturday for several hours working on event planning and offering neighibors entertainment, food, and comfort. 

After cleaning up after the event, Cunningham picked up a gift from local contractor and community organizer Rodney Williams. As a thank-you for his community organizing and hard work, Williams bought Cunningham a pair of Yeezy sneakers.

Cunningham, who has six sisters and one brother, said it is in his nature to give back and help others out. ​“There should always be a safe fun place for kids to come to like the Shack,” he said.

This summer Cunningham hopes to host a series of block parties at the Shack to bring the neighborhood together, he said. 

“The community has kind of fallen apart,” he said. ​“Here we can grow together.”