Chicago family starts lemonade stand to raise money for social justice

ByJalyn Henderson Localish logo
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
The social justice lemonade stand
Since they weren't able to attend Black Lives Matter protests, a Chicago family decided to set up a contact-free lemonade stand to raise money for My Block My Hood My City.

CHICAGO -- Since they weren't able to attend Black Lives Matter protests, rallies or marches in person, one Chicago family decided to get involved with the movement in a different way.

They set up a contact-free lemonade stand to raise money for My Block My Hood My City, an organization focused on helping people on the South and West sides of the city.

"Their motto is 'What can you do on your block?', so we thought we could do a lemonade stand," Kenny Metroff said.

Buckets of lemonade and lemon-flavored Lacroix sit on their yard across from the sidewalk so people can grab their drinks from a social distance.

So far, the Metroffs have raised more than $400 for the organizations' Small Business Relief and Senior Viral Response funds.

"It can be scary and overwhelming for anyone," Metroff said. "But our friends in the Black and Brown communities, it's even scarier for them right now."

That's why he wants his 3-year-old son, Henry, to know the importance of serving as an ally.

"Anti-racism, being a better ally, it's a journey - not a destination and we just want to make sure that we continue on that journey and raise our son along with that," Metroff said.