10-Year-Old Opens Lemonade Stand to Raise Money for Animal Shelter

two cats in an animal shelter sitting comfortably in their cage while people raise money
two cats in an animal shelter sitting comfortably in their cage while people raise money

Okssi / Shutterstock

You're never too young to help make a difference. Just ask 10-year-old Sofia Ortiz of San Antonio. She wanted to help pets find their forever homes, so she decided to start a lemonade stand.

"Animals' Saving Lemonade" operated this past Sunday at Main Plaza in front of the San Fernando Cathedral. The city allowed Sofia to run the stand, according to a Facebook post by her father, Schervy Ortiz.

"So proud of her compassion to help animals and accomplishments!" he wrote in the post. Us, too!

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A portion of the proceeds was donated to San Antonio Pets Alive!, a non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent the euthanization of animals "due to lack of space, adopter, or foster opportunities," according to its website.

Sofia was inspired to raise funds after fostering two kittens from the organization.

"Sofia has a compassion for animals and loves to help them any way she can," Schervy Ortiz told San Antonio's KSAT-TV. "Sofia's kindness, love and care for animals was inspired into making a delicious lemonade."

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SAPA! started in 2011 in response to the 19,458 animal euthanizations that took place in shelters around the city that year. Since then, the nonprofit says it's helped save the lives of over 55,000 animals in the surrounding area.

"Our model saves the lives of dogs and cats no one else will help," SAPA! says on its website. Those who benefit from their services include orphaned animals, dogs with physical disabilities, injured animals, abandoned pets, and more.

We can only assume their mission got just a bit stronger thanks to the efforts of Sofia and her family.