This Pint-Sized Animal Lover And Her Lemonade Stand Are Changing Shelter Pets’ Lives.

Delanie with her lemonade stand and a cat in a crate

Some people seem to have been born with a mission in their heart. Delanie Dennis is one of them!

Eleven-year-old Delanie has been running a lemonade stand inside her parents’ Tampa, Florida restaurant since she was 7 years old. Dad Andy Dennis said his daughter came up with the idea herself, and instead of keeping the proceeds from the stand, she wanted to donate them to local animal shelters and charities.

Andy agreed to “give it a shot,” and Delanie’s Lemonade Stand was born. Delanie works the stand herself, and at the end of each month she takes whatever she earned and selects an animal rescue organization to make a donation. She also spends her spare time volunteering at an animal rescue that houses her pet donkey, Burrito.

Over the past five years, Delanie’s donations have really added up! To date, she has given away more than $61,000 to help animals!

“It’s been truly inspiring to see someone at such a young age with such a passion for people and animals to make things happen and make a change,” said Julie Dennis, Delanie’s mom. “It’s heartwarming.”

Delanie firmly believes that there’s a perfect forever home for every animal. She is grateful to everyone who buys lemonade from her, because each dollar goes straight to the animals she adores so much.

Even at a young age, this animal lover has racked up an impressive number of awards and accolades! She was named “Kid of the Year” by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in 2022, and was given a $2,500 donation from Veterinary Emergency Group during an appearance on “Good Morning America.”

Delanie plans to donate that money to a nonprofit called Mastino Rescue, which rescues Neapolitan Mastiffs.

“I want to inspire my generation to help animals,” Delanie said while on GMA. “The future is that hopefully animals’ lives will all be changed.”

Who knew that one little girl with a vision could make such a tremendous impact in the lives around her? Way to go, Delanie! The animals are lucky to have you on their side.

Share this story to cheer Delanie on as she heads towards $100,000 in donations before even reaching her teen years.

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