Searsport business pays it forward to kids in need

SEARSPORT, Maine (WABI) – We all have heard of someone paying for the car behind them in a drive thru or even a toll.

But what about an entire organization devoted to the cause?

Jen Wenz is the owner of The Aquarian Gift Shop in Searsport. With a surplus in store earnings one month, she wanted to do something positive the extra money.

“I thought, well, there’s gotta be some kids that need some help paying of their lunch balances,” Wenz said.

So she made a donation, and that’s how the non profit, Pay it Forward for Kids began.

“Now we’re a gift with a thrift,” she said.

Fast forward to today. All proceeds from the shop go to the non profit.

“You’re literally helping a family in need,” Wenz said.

But she’s kept the same charm the gift shop always had.

“It has to feel like you’re walking in the door to see your nana and I’m everybody’s nana,” she said.

Whether it’s a backpack to start the school year or a monetary donation, Wenz and her team hear about local children in need, and they get right to work in every way they can.

“There was a child just earlier this year that needed shoes and didn’t have a warm pair of shoes. He was walking to school in flip flops in the bitter cold freezing weather,” Wenz said.

With the help of local businesses and social media, the child received a pair of shoes. And the same community support has been felt for the over four thousand kids and families the organization has helped so far.

“You don’t always see the people you are helping but you know you’ve made a positive impact in some small way,” Wenz said.

Wenz says the feeling is contagious.

“You want to do it again and again and again. But not only do you want to do it again, but you want to share that feeling with other people and create an epidemic of positive change,” she said.

If you would like to donate or if you need assistance, you can head to their website: pifkids.org.

Copyright 2024 WABI. All rights reserved.