Did you know that in order to grow funky-looking pumpkins, you have to plant seeds from some rotting squash first?
When 10-year-old Charlie Jones of Jamestown, Indiana, learned this, he was inspired to grow his own “ugly pumpkin” patch. He put in the work to gather, clean, and plant those seeds and decided to sell his crop just in time for fall!
While ugly pumpkins aren’t typically the first to go, Charlie had no problem getting customers to buy his. After all, they knew the proceeds were going to support their county cancer society!
The curious boy didn’t originally set out to give back. His family caught the novel coronavirus (which they have since recovered from), and with everything in lockdown, he needed a way to pass the time.
His boredom paid off because he ended up with an enormous haul! When the time came to sell them, his mom Corrie did some advertising on Facebook, but she didn’t expect his crop to become such a hit.
“This was just amazing, truly amazing, people lining up for ugly pumpkins,” Charlie said later.
Within a few weeks, his unusual squash helped him raise $720! At that point, he and his mom headed to Boone County Cancer Society and donated every penny to them.
Not only was his donation a testament to his kind heart, but it was also extremely helpful to the organization. The director said fundraising has been difficult for them because of COVID-19, so Charlie’s donation made a big impact.
Best of all, he plans to do it all over again next year! In his words, “The people don’t stop having cancer, so why should I stop selling pumpkins?”
Learn more about Charlie and his ugly produce in the video below, and share this story with your friends.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.