Georgia, VT — On Sunday, parts of Vermont saw periods of rain and even snow flurries, but that did not stop a family from hosting a fundraising bake sale with donations going to organizations helping humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Danielle Waite and her family baked goods through Friday and Saturday and received help from community friends. By Sunday, they had four tables full of delicious treats and hot coffee that had been donated by the Catalyst Coffee Bar.

The bake sale ran from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, but already halfway through, the family had put two tables away due to the number of people who stopped by.

“It’s been amazing,” said Danielle. “People are still coming out despite the weather and we’ve been busy all day. We have done bake sales before, which were a big hit, but this time it’s more important than just a bake sale and we’ve received a lot of support.”

Donations could be made to three different organizations providing support to Ukraine. Jared Waite, Danielle’s husband, said a friend of his who is a humanitarian lawyer provided them with a list of charities. “We were concerned about finding the right charities so we did a lot of research,” said Jared.

“We were worried about charities and if the money actually goes to Ukraine,” said Danielle. “We hear things on the news about scams, so we really just wanted to be diligent.”

The three organizations the family chose were the World Central Kitchen, Ukraine Women’s Fund, and Voices of Children. The whole family played a role in selecting the organizations, but daughters Kelsey and Kendra Smith highlighted Voices of Children in particular. “Unlike many of the organizations, Voices of Children provides psychological aid for children,” said Kendra. “Mental health is so important, especially for children who are still developing at such a young age,” added Kelsey. “On the Voices of Children website, there are so many heartbreaking stories.”

Danielle promoted the bake sale on social media but said there wasn’t a lot of interest until people saw pictures of the baked goods. The family also created signs and found other ways to get the word out. “We put up flyers in local stores, and I also put them up around South Burlington High School,” said Kendra, who is a student at SBHS. “We were able to spread the news through word of mouth.”

The bake sale turned out to be a huge success as the Waite family was able to raise over $2100. “There were a lot of people donating money, some stopped by and did not even buy anything,” said Danielle. “We even saw some people donate $100 bills.”

“I am pleased with the turnout and everyone’s generosity,” said Guy Senesac, Danielle’s father. “It shows that people have a heart and they still care.”

“It is worth suffering in the rain for,” added Jared. “We are just trying to do something good.”

Danielle says that they may do something else in the future. “I don’t think this is the end because of the great turnout. I already have some people reaching out to help with the next one. Just we’ll do it on a better day!”

Others who helped make the bake sale possible include Calla Senesac, Chip Viau, Lizzy Lawrence, Makenna Cannon, Mars Uttecht, Merideth Lambert, PJ O’Brien, Tabatha Beckett, Theresa Bushway, and Heather, Nora, and Clare Gonyeau, and Guy and Sue Senesac.