The Amazing Pretzel Plan

What do pretzels have to do with poverty? If you ask CW, he would tell you that pretzels made the difference for a lot of families in need last year!

CW has a busy schedule for a fifth grader. Between football practice and science homework, he has a lot on his mind. But this doesn’t stop him from thinking about other kids in need around the world. In fact, CW has been working hard to help children in poverty since he was 4 years old!

At first, CW would ask his neighbors if he could do odd jobs to raise money to purchase items from the Compassion Gift Catalog. Usually he would earn around $20 — enough for a mosquito net to help protect a child from malaria. But last year, CW announced, “I’m 10 now! I want to do something big!”

CW hatched a plan to make the most delicious, chocolate-dipped pretzels and sell them for a dollar to everyone he knew! After school and on the weekends, you could find CW in the kitchen stirring, dipping and decorating his creations. In just 24 hours, CW exceeded his goal of $125! And people just kept buying these irresistible snacks — 1,266 to be exact! That’s a lot of pretzels!

CW was able to use the $1,266 dollars he raised to purchase two cows, a water filter, and other animals and Bibles for children in need. Families would  have good milk to drink and sell with the gift of a cow and other animals. The water filter would provide a lifetime of safe drinking water to a child in need. And the gift of a Bible would allow a child to have a copy of God’s Word in their own language! These are life-changing gifts!

CW said he used to take a lot of things for granted, but now he likes helping others! “It makes me feel really good when I give to other people,” he explains. CW is still coming up with a plan for how he will raise money for children in poverty this year. He’s considering making a hot chocolate stand, baking cookies or even making some art. He wants to tell other kids, “You don’t have to raise $1,000 to make a difference. You can start small!” And if you are feeling unsure if you have what it takes to help a child in need, CW says, “Just do it!”