SPOKANE, Wash. — The sun is out and so are the lemonade stands, but one Spokane stand spent Saturday raising money to fight homelessness in the Lilac City.
And the mastermind behind the stand is only eight years old.
Blaine spent the first day of his weekend selling lemonade and hot chocolate to raise money for Family Promise of Spokane, a non-profit dedicated to providing emergency housing to families experiencing homelessness. According to Blaine's mom, it's likely he'll be at any community event in the Eagle Ridge neighborhood raising money for the cause.
Stephanie Binger, Blaine's mom, said the eight-year-old first came up with the idea to raise money for Family Promise during his 2022 winter break. Since then, he's hosted a charity stand every season.
"He just saw that there was a homeless issue and he wanted to help in some way," Binger said. "We've been doing it for a year and a half. We've had lemonade and snow cones and apple cider."
So far, Blaine has raised more than $1,000 for Family Promise.
"That is amazing for a child to have that mind aspect," said Emily Gutierrez, a family advocate for Family Promise.
The mission of the non-profit is to provide housing to unhoused families for as long as they need. Gutierrez said Blaine's donations are already making a difference.
"It makes it very easy for us to be able to get the necessities that we need for the families and everything that we do need to be able to provide for them," she continued.
Blaine's actions haven't gone unnoticed; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee honored him with Washingtonian of the Day.
"This is what you want as a parent, to know that your kid sees a problem and wants to help others," Binger said. "That's all you can ask for."
Blaine said he plans on selling snow cones sometime this summer. He's only eight but his work continues to touch the lives of many.
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