COLGATE — A family in Colgate is moving forward after their farm stand was stolen from last week.
Every morning, Courtney Schall’s two small kids head to their backyard to collect fresh eggs and ripe tomatoes.
Afterwards, Emily and Clayton, collect their loot and take it to the farm stand in their front yard.
“It’s been a family thing. They put in the hard work and get the value of nurturing the seed, growing the plants, and having all the tomatoes and peppers to harvest,” Schall smiled.
Usually, the kids put the food out with a cash box. People passing by can stop and buy the fresh produce in exchange for a few dollars.
“It’s just a small table, sometimes 12 tomatoes for 75 cents apiece. We want the kids to understand work equals reward.”
Schall said it’s an honor system.
Watch: Thieves hit kids' farm stand in Colgate; family amazed at community response
But on Aug. 20, she came home from running errands to see the empty cash box.
“I opened the cash box, and my heart sank. So furious and just so sad,” Schall said.
She said someone took all of their money, eggs, and tomatoes. Upset, she moved the stand into the garage.
Shortly after, Schall posted about it on the Nextdoor platform to let neighbors know they would be closed.
The post went viral.
“It turned into this big thing where people were calling and texting asking ‘how can we help’; ‘how can we reward the kids’; and ‘let me buy you a security camera’."
She said the outpouring of support has been overwhelming.
“That’s restored my faith in humanity to see how much good is coming out of one person’s bad choice.”
She’s asking other people to see what happened and choose to make good choices too.
“If you want to help, make good choices. Donate to a food pantry, foster a dog. Help others make a good choice,” Schall said.
Her husband hopes to build a new stand soon so her kids can return to selling produce for the rest of the season.
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