Eleven-year-old bakes goodness into warmth for houseless

Dave Lutgens, Nina Heredia and her mother, Jennifer

By Tom Peterson

Inspiring Vessi Waterproof sneaker

It’s funny how much power a sneaker can have.

Eleven-year-old Nina Heredia of The Dalles saw a waterproof Vessi tennis shoe.

And she had to have it. 

And she could as long as she earned the money to pay for the pricey tennie, her mother Jennifer told her. 

Nina sharpened her pencil and decided she could earn the cash with a bake sale, she was coming off of years of success at the neighborhood lemonade stand.

“My first stand was with a neighborhood friend, and we did lemonade and baked cookies. I must have been 5 or 6 years old when I did that,” said NIna.  

“She’s very entrepreneurial,” Jennifer said of the sixth grader at Mosier School. “When she decides to do something, like a bake sale, she pulls out her file folders and lists and sits down and looks at all the ingredients and what they cost and then prices them out to make sure she gets back more than she spends.”

Nina earned her shoes and it primed her for something much greater than herself.

Well, in September, Jennifer had a birthday. But instead of asking for gifts she did a Facebook fundraiser for St. Vincent de Paul’s warming shelter at 315 W. 3rd St. in The Dalles.

Family friends Dave and Sandy Lutgens put in tons of hours at the warming shelter and community meal site. 

“Sandy and Dave are down there and they work so hard,” said Jennifer. 

“My grandma would take me to their house to play cards,” Nina said later. Their families had hung out together for years, playing games and camping.

Jennifer’s birthday fundraiser “took off,” she said.“It was a lot more successful than I thought, I think it got to $625” - all cash she donated to St. Vincent de Paul. 

Nina took notice. 

She asked her mom what if she did a bake sale and gave the money to St. Vincent to purchase tents and sleeping bags for local houseless residents as the rainy season was setting in.

And that’s what they did using Facebook as a marketing tool. 

Good chums, Jennifer and Nina - the pair are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to confections and helping the houseless.

Halloween Cookies were a hit.

Jennifer took a day and a half off from her work at Oregon Child Development Coalition to help her daughter in the kitchen.

“We did it at our house,” Nina said. “We sold them at our front door - sugar cookies, Rice Krispy treats, cupcakes - vanilla, red velvet and chocolate.”

How many?

200 sugar cookies, 156 cupcakes, 48 Rice Krispies treats and 24 cinnamon rolls, and 24 pecan rolls and 20 mini hand pies, Nina said.

Better yet, Nina had done her math right.

“We earned about $820 from that,” she said. 

And she handed the check to Dave Lutgens on Monday, Nov. 8. 

Pretty boxes all ready to go for customers.

“It felt good,” Nina said. “It felt like I was trying to support my community. Dave and Sandy both down there working so hard. It was nice to give something back knowing how much they are giving on a daily basis.” 

“I enjoy it, Nina said. “I kind of feel a little bit grown up when I do it.”

Dave Lutgens said he was floored by the contribution.

This new rain shelter outside the St. Vincent De Paul warming shelter provided a little protection on Nov. 11. Rain season and winter months are pressing in, making days that much more difficult for those without shelter.

“To be so young, yet still recognize that need, and then to execute a project to assist is remarkable. With young people like Nina, the world will be in good hands in the future.”

Editors note: Dave Lutgens said they are gearing up for cold winter nights and are looking for volunteers to help out at the warming shelter. He said donations could also be sent to P.O. Box 553, The Dalles, OR 97058.