A 'Sweet' Idea: Moorhead Mom Teaches Kids About Giving Back

Refreshments, snacks, smiles and a chorus of “Lemonade and Cookies!” greeted garage sale goers in South Moorhead this weekend.  A group of seven excited children, age’s two to seven, sat around a plastic picnic set with lemonade and fresh cookies as their parents hosted a garage sale a few yards away.  A handwritten sign let visitors know that cookies and lemonade were 25 cents each with the proceeds benefitting the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Libby Martin, Moorhead resident and mother of two, thought that a lemonade stand at their garage sale would be a fun idea for the kids.  While she wanted them to have the experience of making money, she also wanted to teach them about giving back.  With the help of her husband and three other families in their neighborhood, they put together a Red Cross Disaster Relief Fundraiser in their front yard.

“It’s heartwarming to see children giving back at such a young age.  It’s touching to see people hand the kids two dollars or five dollars for 50 cents worth of cookies and lemonade because they know it is going to a good cause,” says Florija Ajdari, Public Affairs Manager for the Minn-Kota Chapter of the American Red Cross. 

When asked why they chose the American Red Cross, Libby replied, “We have had personal experience with the Red Cross and feel that it is a good organization that focuses on helping people.  We thought it was a great way to get the kids involved and to give back to our community.”

Libby, who is known in the neighborhood for her amazing cupcakes, baked dozens of delicious cookies for the kids to sell.

Thank you to Libby and her husband, the other families, and especially to the kids, Sadie, Hali, Oliver, Henry, Jacob, Will, and Drew.

Photo/Video Credit:  Florija Ajdari