It isn't uncommon to receive a text from a neighbor encouraging you to visit the lemonade stand down the street, the one being helmed by the neighbor's kids, just for the fun of it or to raise funds for a sports trip or school carnival.
All kid-sweet food stands are lovely, heartfelt, and awww-worthy, but the donut and lemonade stand that Charlie and Gavin Trainor are setting up on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, Aug. 1 is definitely worth telling all the neighbors about, across wider Los Angeles and far beyond the boys' Northridge neighborhood.
Charlie, who is 8, and Gavin, who is 9, are very close to their grandfather, Mike Rigley. Mr. Rigley has recently undergone extensive cancer treatments at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, which meant that the boys couldn't see their grandpa as often, a man who they previously spent time with "nearly every day."
"We're a very close family," says mom Samantha Trainor. And a family that wanted to thank the hospital providing Mr. Rigley's care.
While Poppie -- the sweet handle used by Gavin, Charlie, and Mr. Rigley's four other grandkids -- heals during his recovery, the family is getting busy selling homemade beverages and treats from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 31 and 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1.
St. Joseph's is the stand's sole beneficiary.
If you want to buy a doughnut, head for the intersection of Petit Avenue and Superior Street in Northridge. A tent set up in a driveway, balloons, and good-hearted hubbub will be your sign that you're in the right place.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
And while the doughnut stand will wrap up in the late afternoon of Aug. 1, you can donate to the Providence St. Joseph Foundation any day of the year. Education, renovation, and new equipment are some of the ways donations go to work at the institution.
Sending best wishes to the boys' in their charitable, grandpa-honoring venture and to Mr. Rigley's healing, too. May he be back playing golf with his grandkids soon.
