Condolence food gift baskets should be filled with items that are not readily perishable. The family will receive lots of food, mostly perishable items that need to be refrigerated. Offer them gifts that they can partake of at anytime without having to worry about spoilage. Homemade items that can sit in a cool dry place such as zucchini, banana, or other loaf breads need to be wrapped in foil so they won’t sweat. Include paper plates, plastic silverware and napkins. Give them utensils that they can throw away so they don’t have to worry about washing dishes during their period of mourning. Choose applesauce, fruit cups, snack bars, small bags of chips, and individually bottled water and juices that need no refrigeration. Small snacks may be all they want or need to keep up their strength, so provide as many as you can.
When the time comes, the family will want to send thank you cards to those who helped them during their bereavement. A sympathy gift basket filled with everything needed to make this task easier would be appreciated. Include cards, pens, stamps, return address labels, note paper, and envelopes. Most families place a picture of the deceased on the cover of the funeral program. Minimize the picture and make copies with the birth and death dates to include with the thank you cards.
A spiritual sympathy gift basket can help a mourning family find closure. Fill the basket with packs of tissues, books on prayer and grieving, and journals with pens to record their feelings. For the in-between moments, a portable CD player with soothing music will bring calmness to the wounded heart. Include symbols of faith like cross pendants, and/or rosary beads if they are Catholic.
If the family has pets, they will need care. Save the family a trip to the store for pet supplies. A sympathy gift basket full of pet foods, toys, and grooming supplies will keep the family from worrying about their pets.
A unique idea for a sympathy gift basket to show your condolences is a “celebration of life” basket. If the friend or family member was close to you, there should be pictures of them in photo albums you own or tokens of special times you shared. Gather these things together in a gift basket for the grieving family. Frame the pictures in a collage frame or individual picture frames of varying sizes. Ask others who knew the deceased to provide a few memorabilia to the basket as gifts of sympathy. Each person should include a letter telling how they knew the deceased. Include funny stories and how the deceased affected their lives. Include a scrapbook of the person’s accomplishments in life, leaving a page free for each of their immediate family members to add their reflections to the scrapbook.
The need to provide sympathy goes beyond the funeral. The period of mourning is unpredictable. Gift baskets of food, favorite memories, and household necessities help the family to heal after their loss.
