The Easter bunny is a centuries old tale. A Petoskey resident has redefined the character with hand delivered gift baskets for children in need.
Moon Meade wanted to give the children of her community something to look forward to.
Over a month ago, she became the Easter lady. Since then, she has created baskets filled with candy, stuffed animals, and even ribbon skirts that highlight her Indigenous roots. Donations - of money and items - from her fellow community members make it possible.
Meade said she was inspired by her son.
“It all started from Valentines. I wasn’t able to send my son to school with valentine's cause it was on a Sunday, so I couldn’t give him the valentines candy for the kids there and I’m like ‘Why still can’t I?’,” she said. “I didn’t know how to even start. At first all I had was a bunch of grocery bags so I could just fill up eggs and hand them out down by the water.”
She spoke with Petoskey City Commerce, Department of Parks and Recreation, and the local health department to get approval. After reaching dead ends, she took matters into her own hands - quite literally by hand delivering them herself.
Meade has now delivered baskets to over thirty families. Her platform is partly thanks to her Tik Tok presence, where she has documented her journey with videos.
Meade said she is constantly asking herself what more she can do for her community. Unfortunately, she said this has caused her car serious wear and tear. She plans to continue through Easter, so long as her vehicle allows.
“Until this vehicle breaks, I'm going to keep trying to deliver until this event is over, then I’ll maybe use my taxes to have it fixed or something,” she said. “It’s just something for the kids so that they have something to look forward to in these pandemic times.”
Meade said she hopes to resume her persona this time next year. But being eco-friendly is important to her.
“If I could find a way to gather the eggs back and then wash them and then get them ready for next year that would be great,” she said. “I don't want it going into a landfill.”
Meade said she may do something at the end of the year… perhaps become the Christmas Lady.
