Natalie DuBose, the founder of a bakery in Ferguson, MO, receives tons of support and donations from the community.
Ferguson, MO — Natalie DuBose, founder of Natalie’s Cakes and More, a bakery in Ferguson, MO has received more than $250K in online donations after her business was destroyed by looters. The shop, located at 100 South Florissant Road, sells delicious baked goods at local flea markets. But sadly, the business was badly vandalized by rioters after it was announced that the officer who killed unarmed teen Michael Brown would not be indicted.
DuBose told NBC News during a recent interview, “Everything that I invested, it came from me saving money through bake sales. Sometimes I couldn’t buy a pair of tennis shoes because I wanted to make sure I had enough money to buy a bucket of icing. It was an investment all around. I always had to work at least two jobs. I never just had just one job because my dream was always to have my own bakery.”
But then supporters started chipping in to help her out. First, community members arrived at the shop, offering to help her clean up and fix the broken windows. Then, a GoFundMe page was set up, and in just five days, they had raised $260,000 and counting.
But she is not the only one
Other local business owners, who were also affected by the unrest in Ferguson, have also received thousands of dollars in online donations to help them rebuild. These businesses had also been vandalized, and some even burned down.
But supporters around the country have been very giving. For instance, Ferguson Market & Liquor (which was probably shown most on TV) has raised more than $30,000 within just 5 days. Another one, Cathy’s Kitchen & J & C BBQ, raised more than $11,000 in just 6 days. Even a local shop called Beauty World was able to raise more than $10,000 in just 5 days. And the list goes on!
Donations to support local Ferguson businesses are still being accepted online at the following links:
Queen’s Royal Touch Barber and Beauty Shop