Millbury Cupcake Shop Raises $2,350 for Marathon Victims

Friday, April 26, 2013

George Charles Allen, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Special cupcakes to raise money for Boston Marathon relief allowed Millbury's Renee King to raise $2,350.

Since opening The Queen's Cups in October 2012, owner Renee King of Millbury has baked thousands of handmade, original artisan cupcakes. In the days following the Boston Marathon bombings, the petite cupcake shop in Millbury ran a four-day marathon of their own to fundraise aid for victims of the tragic attacks.

King and her employee Abbie West described their initial reactions to the attacks as being filled with shock and fear. The events hit too close to home for both King and West as their thoughts turned immediately to loved ones who were in Boston for the marathon.

Too close to home

“My brother’s fiancé works on Boylston Street,” King said. “If she went outside to watch the marathon or grab a coffee my whole life could have changed on a very personal level.”

West’s older brother participated as a runner in the marathon. She immediately began calling family and friends to reach her brother. “Fortunately, we were able to get in touch with a friend that was there watching him,” West said. “They told me he was about 20 minutes away from the finish line and that he should be fine.”

West described her experience as “a scary ten minutes” that made her think how other families more deeply affected might have felt. After breathing a momentary sigh of relief, West, an employee at Queen’s Cups for the past five months, wondered what she could do to help others affected by the tragic turn of events.

Cupcakes for a Cause

“The idea of selling special cupcakes to help raise money popped into my head,” West said. “After thinking of this idea, I put together a little presentation of design ideas and Facebook ads for Renee. She loved the idea and we started baking cupcakes later that day.” Their goal: to raise at least $1,000.

On Wednesday, King baked two dozen cupcakes and West decorated each of them for Thursday morning. After making an announcement on Facebook Wednesday night, however, the post quickly received several hundred likes and comments. King realized she would need to get an earlier start than usual.

“Over 200 people liked the photo or commented within an hour of posting,” King said. “I knew I had to go to work a lot earlier the next day. I ended up making over 200 that morning, and we sold 219 on the first day.” King spent a total of 46 hours baking between Thursday and Sunday, and West worked extra shifts to decorate cupcakes and help run the shop. Friends and family also volunteered.

Community rallies with support

The Cupcakes for a Cause campaign sold 806 Boston Strong cupcakes and raised a total of $2,350 in just four days with the support of family, friends, and the Worcester community. “It's truly remarkable how much money was raised in 4 days in our tiny little shop,” King said.

On Monday morning, April 22, Queen's Cups officially announced a donation of $1,350 to Technology Underwriting Greater Good (TUGG), and $1,000 to The One Fund.

“I donated all 100%, even my costs,” King said, “because in my heart that was the right thing to do.”

A proud and thankful moment

King recalls the experience as fatiguing and filled with many emotions, but nothing could shake her determination to make a difference.

“While it was a very tiring and very emotional experience,” King said, “it was the proudest moment in my life to date. I have learned so well from my parents that money comes and goes, but what we can do for others makes a lasting impact.”

King and West both expressed gratitude and genuine surprise over the outpouring of community support. “We never thought it would make such an impact and I am so happy we decided to do something,” King said.

“I am very thankful for the generous community that we live in,” West said. “It just goes to show how generous people in the community are and how willing they are to help people in need.”

While Queen’s Cups is no longer fundraising for the Boston Marathon Bombing victims, King was deeply affected by the events and community support and hopes to pursue other Cupcakes for a Cause campaigns in the future.