The Wallace and Bame families had used the snow cone machine at Village Baking Co. for fun, but on July 11 they put it to work to make a difference.
With the help of children from around the neighborhood, they raised more than $3,500 for victims of the Hill Country’s catastrophic flooding by selling $5 icy treats in flavors like Tiger’s Blood, Pina Colada, and Blue Raspberry.
“My mom had a friend, and she lost her daughter in the flood,” said 11-year-old Austin Bame. “We just wanted to raise money for her, and the people that also lost their parents, or their daughter, or their son.”
The children spent several hours setting up the snow cone stand and selling treats outside Village Baking Co. on Knox Street. It was hot, but they were able to take breaks inside the bake shop, which their parents co-own along with other families.
“We popped inside for a few minutes, then outside,” 10-year-old Annie Wallace said. “Plus, we had snow cones to snack on.”
Almost everyone paid more than $5 for the frosty treats.
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“It was so fresh,” Susannah Bame said, explaining that the Bame and Wallace cousins, who are neighbors in Highland Park, opened their stand just a week after the disaster. “When people would walk by, they still had tears in their eyes.”
The families decided to send the funds to TEXSAR, an Austin-based first responder organization that has been working tirelessly since the disaster to find those still unaccounted for.
“There are so many people that are missing,” Kiki Wallace said on July 14. “We just wanted people to be able to say goodbye to their loved ones.”
Click HERE to learn more about TEXSAR or make a donation.
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