Bored and in search of one thing to do that summer season, Danny Doherty hatched a plan to boost cash for his brother’s hockey group by promoting home made ice cream.
However a couple of days after establishing a stand and serving up vanilla, shaved chocolate and fluffernutter to about 20 folks, Danny’s household acquired a letter from the Norwood Board of Well being ordering it shut down. City officers had acquired a criticism and mentioned that the 12-year-old’s scheme violated the Massachusetts Meals Code, a state regulation.
“I was surprised and upset,” he mentioned of the letter that got here Aug. 5. “I don’t understand because there are so many lemonade stands and they don’t get shut down.”
Danny’s mother, Nancy Doherty, who had inspired her son to start out the stand so long as he donated half of the proceeds to charity, additionally was shocked.
“Somebody complained. That was the most disappointing part for us was that somebody thought it necessary to complain about a child’s stand,” she mentioned. “It seemed a little, you know, crazy if you ask me.”
Moderately than surrender, Danny determined to provide away the ice cream and settle for donations for the Boston Bear Cubs, a group that includes gamers with bodily and developmental disabilities — together with his brother, who’s autistic.
That is when the neighborhood fundraiser blew up and have become the speak of Norwood, a suburban city about an hour from Boston.
The primary day they gave away the ice cream, provides ran out in 10 minutes and $1,000 was raised. Then, phrase started to unfold in regards to the fundraiser and Danny’s conflict with the city. Native media ran tales in regards to the stand, prompting scores of native companies to carry their very own fundraisers for the hockey group.
Amongst them was Furlong’s Candies, which teamed up with Boston radio station WWBX-FM to carry a fundraiser of their car parking zone. They raised $3,600 on a day when traces stretched out the door.
“Danny was trying to do a good thing for his brother’s team — and it’s not just a regular hockey team,” Nancy Thrasher, the shop’s co-owner mentioned. “They want much more gear … We had been like this can be a good scenario for us to get entangled in.”
Thrasher mentioned she understood why the stand needed to be shut down however she nonetheless felt dangerous.
“My heart broke for the kid. He was just trying to do good for his brother’s team,” she mentioned.
City officers, in the meantime, mentioned they acquired hate mail and loss of life threats over the dispute, which they instructed has been badly mischaracterized within the media.
They argued the household had offered their home made ice cream earlier than and even promoted it on social media. The letter, officers mentioned, was solely despatched after the city acquired a number of complaints and unsuccessfully tried to contact the household — one thing the Dohertys dispute.
“We had to deal with staff who were upset that they were being threatened. People had gone online and found their addresses simply for sending a letter after having reached out to somebody and said, look, there’s a violation here,” mentioned Tony Mazzucco, Norwood’s city supervisor. It’s the “first time in recent memory” that the city has shut down an ice cream stand, he mentioned, including that Massachusetts legislation permits for issues like lemonade stands and bakes gross sales however not home made ice cream.
Mazzucco additionally mentioned there was a “legitimate health concern” since home made ice cream will be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes or different micro organism.
Danny’s scenario isn’t altogether uncommon. Youth elsewhere have additionally seen their lemonade stands or pop-up bake gross sales shuttered — usually for failing to have a enterprise or well being allow. A number of states have responded by transferring to reduce restrictions on such ventures.
Nancy Doherty mentioned it was “distressing” to listen to the city workers had acquired threats. She mentioned the household had by no means offered ice cream earlier than however acknowledged that Danny created an Instagram account to advertise the stand.
“I’m not upset with the town for responding to a complaint,” she mentioned. “I’m shocked someone complained. This was a tiny operation. Us serving 20 friends, family and neighbors isn’t a public health action. That is someone complaining to be a complainer.”
For Danny, all the eye has been a bit unnerving. “There were so many people and then they started chanting my name,” he mentioned of the fundraiser at Furlong’s. “I didn’t like it, so I ran away. All the attention was on me and I didn’t like it.”
In the long run, about $20,000 was raised for the hockey group — greater than the quantity the membership spends in a whole yr. The infusion of funds ought to make sure the membership might be on “sound financial footing” for the subsequent decade or extra.
“The community response has overwhelmed us,” mentioned John Quill, the director and coach of the Boston Bear Cubs, as he accepted a test from an auto group on the Dohertys’ home.
“There are a lot of good people out there,” Quill added. “Danny inspired a whole lot of people to do good and to be kind and to help us out.”
