VILLA PARK, Ill. (NewsNation Now) — After their oven broke, the owners of a popular suburban Chicago bakery considered closing.
But because of the generosity of the community, they didn’t have to,
Loyal customers of Kuppie’s Bakery in Villa Park, Illinois raised over $60,000 in three days, which was enough for a new oven— and then some.
Dawn Hanrahan, who owns Kuppie’s with her husband, Pedro, said the support was amazing, but she’s not surprised by it.
“We have the most amazing customers,” she said. “We have a great community.”
Kuppie’s customer Michelle Steber made the GoFundMe, which reached its $50,000 goal in about 30 hours.
A lot of people on social media had commented on what was happening at Kuppie’s, Steber said, and she had been in the bakery earlier that day and heard the Hanrahans’ story, prompting her to take action.
“They’ve been such an integral part of my life for the past 13 years,” she said. “We had to do something. It was a simple thing.”
Reading through the comments on the GoFundMe, Steber said there were many people who wrote about their memories of Kuppie’s.
“This place was a bakery 60 years ago when I was a kid,” one person said. “I loved it. I no longer live there but I’d hate to see it go.”
Another said their parents always used to look forward to getting a treat from Kuppie’s on Sundays.
“Everyone has a story about Kuppie’s,” Steber said. “It’s more than just a doughnut. It’s just a feeling that you get when you walk into the bakery, talking with Dawn and Pedro and when you bring those baked goods into your home.”
Dawn Hanrahan said they are “definitely” planning some kind of event to help thank the community in the future.