Easter Bunny drops 1000s of eggs on lawns

The Canyon Lake Family Matters Club, with the help of the Easter Bunny, was not going to be thwarted. Despite the cancellation of its annual Easter Carnival because of the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, the club delivered thousands of colorful filled eggs to lawns throughout Canyon Lake.

On Saturday evening and again on Easter Sunday morning, the Easter Bunny and several bunny helpers drove around the community to deliver over 2,700 toy-filled eggs and Cold Stone Ice Cream coupons to the homes of 227 children in Canyon Lake.

These kids, eager to get the goods, approach Family Matters Club Easter Bunny for their treats. Photo provided by Family Matters Club

“I remembered the way we delivered the gifts to kids at Christmas,” club founder Shawna Bowen said. “We dropped them off on doorsteps with no contact and I thought the same concept would work for Easter. We already had the eggs (for the carnival) and everyone was on board to help!”

All safety precautions were made to keep the plastic eggs clean, she said. They had been pre-packed with toys months in advance by the manufacturer and handled by masked and gloved teams of volunteer “Bunny Helpers” from the same household. The “Bunny Brigade” consisted of both Easter Bunnies and helpers who delivered eggs to 115 homes in the community. The eggs were scattered on lawns, hidden in bushes or left in bags on porches.

Although a sign-up was established, not everyone was aware of it, so the idea came up to have the Easter Bunny “parade” around the community.

Jayson Stubbs sprints toward eggs having been delivered by the Family Matters Club Easter Bunny. Photo by Michelle Stubbs

“We didn’t want anyone to miss out,” Shawna said. A tracker, based on the Christmas dragon tracker, was created so people could know when the bunny was near their street.

Valerie Reeves, one of the “bunny helpers,” enjoyed the event. She recalled on a Facebook post that a little girl was obviously excited when the Easter Bunny truck made a turn down her street.

“She was waving so much! She was just a little doll,” she said. Even with the social distancing, she said it was “heartwarming!”

Other families pitched in on Facebook as well, showing their gratitude to the Family Matters Club for the Easter gesture.

“My son loved the eggs and is so excited to go to Cold Stone once this craziness settles down!!!” Michelle Stubbs said. “Thank you for all you do for this community and our families!”

“Thank you so much!” Faith Aloha said. “My kids were so surprised! My little girl was crying tears of joy saying it made her whole year. So thoughtful and kind to cheer all of these kids up!”

“I’m so excited! This is our first Easter here in the lake,” Danielle Britton said. “Thank you so much for doing this!!”

“Thank you so, so much!! We went for a walk and came home to the eggs in the front yard,” Danielle Coats said. “My kids were so thrilled!!! I cannot thank you enough!! It made their day!”

Other posts by Liz Ireland, Natassia Wright, Stacy Brenton, Valerie Curcie and Tawny Perry also expressed gratitude online.

Donna Kupke, who was one of the bunny helpers, said she thoroughly enjoyed helping.

“Since I couldn’t celebrate with my own grandkids, this was something I was excited to help with,” she said. “It was super fun and rewarding!”

The club gave a special thank you to Cold Stone Murrieta owner and Canyon Lake resident John Kaczmarsk for his generous donation of Cold Stone Ice Cream coupons, which were included in each home delivery. The Canyon Lake Car Club made a donation towards purchasing the eggs.

The Family Matters Club is a non-profit club dedicated to the families of Canyon Lake. It holds several family-oriented events in the community throughout the year. Those interested in finding out more information about the club can visit familymattersclub.org or “like” them on the club’s Facebook page.