Duluth kids raise more than $1,000 to help Iraqi kids Published Aug. 18, 2009 By Jana Hollingsworth Duluth News Tribune Duluth, Minn -- A Piedmont Heights lemonade stand staffed by five Duluth children today raised more than $1,000 to buy diapers, school supplies and other necessities for families in Iraq. Jodi Stauber, stationed with the Duluth-based 148th Fighter Wing at Sather Air Base in Baghdad, recently wrote to her sister-in-law, Jessica Stauber, about the plight of nearby Iraqi refugee families. The families rely heavily on donations, she said, and there are several babies in the area. "We brought some diapers, but not enough for all," she said. "Two of the moms were left crying and pointing to the infant's diaper and saying 'No more.' I felt so helpless." She requested that her family help by gathering and sending supplies she would hand-deliver to families. Jessica Stauber enlisted the help of her neighbor, Beth Nelson, who went to high school with Jodi Stauber. The moms and their kids went to work baking watermelon-shaped sugar cookies and decorating them with frosting and chocolate chips. In all, they raised more than $1,000, Jessica Stauber said this afternoon after the stand closed. Patrons also brought about $200 worth of in-kind donations, she said. "It's a pretty rare opportunity when you're able to help someone in another country in a way you know what you're intending to give is going directly to them," Jessica Stauber said. Nelson has family members who have served in Iraq, and she said the displaced families are in circumstances beyond their control. "Whether you are in support of the war or not, it's nice to be able to help people who are affected by this," she said. The kids, who had been eager all summer to have a lemonade stand, were pleased to have a noble reason, Jessica Stauber said, and connecting their aunt and friend to the cause made it more tangible. "The things she's doing over there are amazing," Nelson said. Story credit: Jana Hollingworth, Duluth News Tribune, and www.duluthnewstribune.com Posted with permission of the Duluth News Tribune.