BATH — When 9-year-old Ivy Nibarger said she wanted to have a lemonade stand to benefit Bath Area Food Bank, neighbors rushed to support her fundraiser.

By selling popsicles and lemonade last week, Ivy raised $525 to support the food bank. She said it’s important to help those less fortunate than her.

“Kids that have a lot sometimes don’t get how much kids don’t have a lot, because there is a lot of kids that don’t have a lot,” Ivy said.

According to food bank Executive Director Kimberly Gates, the food bank serves 650 families per month. She said before the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit served fewer than 200.  

With the funds Ivy raised, Gates said she can buy about a week and a half’s worth of food. Because Ivy raised the money, Gates will use the funds for kid-friendly food. She said during summer, the food bank needs more kid-friendly food than usual because children are not receiving meals at school.

“The need is extraordinary,” Gates said. “And Ivy helped fill that hole.”

Ivy said she got the idea to do the fundraiser because she often would see people in need outside the supermarket in town. After coming out of the supermarket, though, with food or money for them, she noticed the people were gone.

“I’ve always seen people out at Wal-Mart, that I’ve always wanted to do, and never got to because they would always be gone or they would never stop so then I decided I wanted to do a lemonade stand,” she said. 

And, it seems Ivy is inspiring others in her community to follow in her footsteps. Gates said she sometimes sees kids come by to donate money or food, but not on the scale that Ivy has accomplished. But while Ivy came to drop off her donations on Tuesday, three other children came into the food bank to donate $50. 

“Ivy, she knew what she wanted to do, she knew she wanted to feed people that didn’t have it,” Gates said.