Naperville Bakery Raises Over $63K To Realize Dream Of Storefront

NAPERVILLE, IL — There's nothing quite like the feeling Moose and Me employees Jake Lukens and Michelle Anderson get when the doorbell to the home-based bakery rings, and it's time to present a customer with the cakes or cookies they've created, bakery owner Megan Elder told Patch.

“As soon as they hear that doorbell ring they run straight to the door," she said.“They really care about the people who are ordering their product.”

Those interactions are something Elder hopes to see more of now that Moose and Me has exceeded its $50,000 Kickstarter goal. The fundraiser was launched to raise money to open a Naperville storefront that will employ "adults of all abilities." In total, the Kickstarter, which closed Aug. 10, raised more than $63,000.

“Our goal is not only to make delicious things with adults with disabilities, but to create an environment where our employees and community members can have positive interactions," Elder said. She said there's currently "a lack of space and businesses created specifically for adults with special needs to be successful and proud of the work that they do."

How Moose and Me Got Its Start

The dream of Moose and Me began as just a seedling when Elder and her husband Justin adopted their daughter, Mila, who is nicknamed "Moosey Goosey" in 2013. As now 8-year-old Mila, who has Down Syndrome, grew, Elder said she and her husband "thought about her future and what she might be doing" in adulthood.

Elder told Patch opportunities for children with special needs tend to diminish as they become adults. These adults could benefit from “a space where they could build their skills to have purposeful work," Elder said.

Eight-year-old Mila's lifelong love for baking and her bond with older sister Zoe, further helped the idea of Moose and Me come to life. Then, the pandemic started and gave the fledgling business a boost.

"Once COVID hit, we were baking even more," Elder told Patch. The family officially launched Moose and Me on March 21, 2021, in honor of National Down Syndrome Day. After that inaugural event selling Down Syndrome ribbon cookies, the Elders donated the funds to the National Down Syndrome Network, which matched Megan and Justin with Mila and their youngest daughter, Audrey, who is three years old.

Elder said the community "rallied right behind" the event, which they marketed on Facebook. She said orders rolled in from schools, teachers, teachers aides and families of children with Down Syndrome. The Moose and Me website was created shortly after to accommodate the ongoing demand from community members.

Currently, Jake Lukens, 31, and Michelle Anderson, 26, are the only two employees who work with Elder to keep the baked goods coming at Moose and Me. Elder told Patch she hired Lukens and Anderson after working with them at Young Life Access, a ministry she and Justin started for teens with special needs.

Elder, Lukens and Anderson get up early to bake and decorate custom cakes, cookies and cupcakes, which are available for pickup and delivery.

Lukens, who mostly communicates non-verbally via hand signals, expressed to Patch that he has enjoyed working at Moose and Me even more than he enjoyed his last job at McDonald's. That's a pretty big thing, his mom, Lori told Patch, sharing how much Lukens loved working at McDonald's.

Anderson, who also has extensive experience in the food service industry, had been temporarily unemployed when Elder approached her about a job at Moose and Me.

“I really love my work," Anderson told Patch. Anderson said she enjoys baking and learning new things, but finds real fulfillment in sharing her passion with others.

"I like being able to share the things that we bake with our friends, families and everyone in the Naperville community," she said.

Bringing the Dream to Life

Now that Moose and Me has achieved its Kickstarter goal, Elder and her team can turn their energies toward further realizing the dream of opening a storefront. Elder said a new space will allow Moose and Me to increase production, but more importantly, it will allow the bakery to hire more employees and give opportunities to more people.

"We have the ability to be with Mila and Audrey every day, and they shape us and change us and make us more patient and kind with other people," Elder said. "The more we can be inclusive and have those opportunities, I think everyone can benefit from it.”

To that end, she'd like to set up shop in a space in Naperville that can accommodate several staff members and volunteers and where customers can "have a cookie and have a coffee and have those interactions with our employees."

“For some people, they don’t realize how absolutely capable adults with special needs are," Elder told Patch.

“This population of people is so wiling to try and work hard and put in time to learn special skills," Elder said, “They are so capable of doing great things."

Click the link to learn more about Moose and Me Bakery.