Thanks to his good friend Justin Erickson, the Easter Bunny was able to visit many homes in Cranston this past week to make sure local children got a glimpse of the furry visitor this spring.

Erickson’s business partner Ed Brady had the Easter Bunny costume at the Thirsty Beaver. Erickson originally borrowed it so he and his wife, Gina, could have a “baby’s first” picture of their young son, Colt, with the Easter Bunny.

“Our son was born a little over three months ago and I was sad that he was going to miss his first Easter Bunny,” he said.

Erickson realized if it was making he and his wife happy, he felt other families would be thrilled to get a visit as well.

“I knew the kids were missing the Easter Bunny visits at the malls and other places, so I sent him a text asking if he could hook up some of my friends with a visit,” he said.

By the time Easter ended on Sunday, the bunny had visited almost 100 homes, making this holiday extra special for so many children. In keeping with social distancing, at no point did the Easter Bunny get close to the children, and most of them waved from a window or porch.

“Everybody was happy. Some kids were scared at first. We didn’t pass out candy, because we weren’t sure about allergies or sensory issues or other possible complications,” Erickson said.

Erickson and his family were happy to help out the community.

“At the end of the day, knowing we put smiles on a lot of kids’ and families’ faces was worth the 18 hours of driving in the car,” Erickson said.

He added: “We are not taking money at all for this, just encouraging people to order takeout from the Thirsty Beaver in Cranston if they do wish to contribute or get takeout from a local establishment of their choice.”

Meri R. Kennedy contributed to this report.