Wellesley Kids Raise Money For Harvey Relief One Cookie At A Time

WELLESLEY, MA — A group of children spent their Labor Day working to raise money to send to Texas in an effort to help people affected by Hurricane Harvey. One Texas shaped cookie - and cup of lemonade at a time. This week they're sending more than $500 to help feed those displaced by the hurricane.

Just as many people are trying to make sense of one of the biggest and most expensive US disasters to date, and how they can help, so, too, was this group of first through fourth graders, bringing smiles to passersby in the process.

Peggy Chung Collier, the mother of the chief lemonade stand man, grew up in Houston, and her parents, brother, sister-in-law and nephews all still live in Houston. Although they are all okay for the time being, some 2/3rds of the people she knows have lost everything, their homes, cars, all of their belongings.

"My son Henry was so concerned about my parents, our friends and the neighborhood I grew up in (more than 3/4 of the neighborhood has been under mandatory evacuation) that he wanted to do something to help all of the displaced people," said Collier.

He was inspired by the story of "Mattress Mack" who opened up his furniture store to give shelter to those displaced by the floods. So a lemonade stand was born. The idea? Sell lemonade and cookies til they run out. And proceeds go to Texas.

When his friends heard what he was up to, they were excited to help and the girls (who are in 3rd and 4th grades) made the signs, and Henry and his mom made the cookies Monday morning using his great grandmother's sugar cookie recipe. They decorated the Texas shaped cookie with sprinkles and then the boys, who are all in 1st grade, mixed the lemonade.

They set up shop just out front of the home on Oak Street, across from the playground, but, to make sure folks knew what was going on the group walked over to the Sprague playground to recruit customers.

And they were workin' it. Just 50 cents will get you a cup of lemonade or $1 will get you a lemonade and Texas-shaped sugar cookie, they'd tell people.

By 2 p.m. they'd raised around $100. By the end of the day the gang had raised $275 and the law firm of Fish and Richardson (where two of the children's father works) will match the donation for a total of $550 going to the Houston Food Bank.

They chose the Houston Food Bank because some of the children are aspiring young cooks and bakers and though they're young, understand that the many displaced and in shelters all need to be fed.

This effort comes a time when people all over the Commonwealth are asking similar questions on how to help, following the devastating hurricane that hit Houston, Texas Aug.25. The hurricane is being described as a "500 year hurricane," and some are saying this is expected to be one of the most expensive natural disasters the US has seen. AccuWeather experts estimated it could cost the economy $190 billion.

At least 60 people were dead or feared dead in and around Houston and thousands were displaced, according to local officials.

Photo courtesy Peggy Chung Collier.