A resident of Federal Way before it was officially a city, Hope Elder has spent her time volunteering and serving the community for more than 20 years.

Most recently, she and her group of giving friends recently completed the nearly 800 Easter baskets for children whose families might not be able to afford the gifts this spring.

“I could not do any of this stuff if it wasn’t for all the people who helped,” she said, noting the Christ group and Soroptimist club each donated 700 eggs.

Karen Edwards, who nominated Elder for the Mirror’s Citizen of the Month, said she deserves to be recognized because she has been a force in the Federal Way community for many years.

“For the past seven or eight years, she and her daughter Ruth have prepared 700 to 800 Easter baskets, which are passed out at the food bank,” Edwards said. “Much of what goes into this is donated by them and fills up one room of her house.”

The Easter baskets will go to the Multi-Service Center and will include two eggs, toys, candy, toothbrushes and a book.

Elder has been collecting, organizing and crafting the Easter baskets for about 20 years and first started in 1994 when she was on the Federal Way City Council.

“I saw they were giving one basket to a family of five,” she said, recalling she asked why that was. “They said they’re aren’t enough baskets and I said, ‘There will be.’”

Elder was the chair of the Federal Way Community Council before she would eventually serve as deputy mayor to former Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest. She’s currently on the advisory council for FUSION, the city’s Planning Commission, the Federal Way Community Caregiving Network and is the coordinator for the Monday Night Community Supper at Steel Lake Presbyterian Church — a 14-year commitment so far.

“Everything I do, I do forever,” she joked.

Elder said serving on the Planning Commission is important to her because she believes it’s critical to prevent property loss from owners. Also, she’s a great environmentalist, she said.

“It breaks my heart when trees are removed,” she said. “I want to see open space.”

Throughout her life, Elder has stayed politically active. Most recently, she was nominated in December to fill late Rep. Roger Freeman’s legislative seat in the 30th Legislative District. She ran for City Council twice after she served her time in the 1990s and has taken stances on topics, such as the inclusion of a day shelter.

“I want this day shelter so bad,” she said, noting that many homeless people have nowhere to go to take showers, clean up and do laundry. “We’ve got money for other things, we have money for this.”

Elder said she’s learned from her time giving that there’s some “really neat people” out there and that dire situations “could happen to any of us.”

She said all of the people she helps have a story and while many people wonder why the homeless don’t just have families to take care of them, she said they often have nothing or no one. But despite all of that, she’s come across people who will give so much, such as helping sweep, setting out chairs, cleaning and other helpful gestures.

“It gives me such personal satisfaction,” she said about why she spends her time helping. Also, there’s a chance to connect with the giving community.

“I’m thankful for the kind of friends I have to help,” she said. “They just do so many things.”

A native Nebraskan, Elder moved to Federal Way before it was incorporated 34 years ago. Both of her children attended Federal Way High School and graduated in the mid-to-late 1980s. She’s worked in the medical field for 45 years doing various jobs, but most recently as a clerical employee for the South Auburn Medical Clinic.