NORWOOD, Mass. (AP) — Looking for something fun to do during the summer, 12-year-old Danny Doherty came up with a creative idea to help raise money for his brother’s hockey team by selling homemade ice cream.
However, just a few days after he set up his stand and began offering flavors like vanilla, shaved chocolate, and fluffernutter to around 20 customers, he received disappointing news. The Norwood Board of Health sent a letter to his family, ordering him to close the stand. Town officials explained that they had received a complaint, stating that Danny was breaking the Massachusetts Food Code, which is a set of state regulations about food safety.
“I was surprised and upset,” Danny recalled about the letter he received on August 5. “I just don’t get why lemonade stands can operate without issues, but I can’t do my ice cream stand.”
His mother, Nancy Doherty, who had supported Danny’s idea on the condition that he would donate half of the earnings to charity, was also shocked by the news.
“It’s disheartening that someone felt the need to complain about a child’s endeavor,” she expressed. “It feels a bit ridiculous, honestly.”
Instead of giving up, Danny chose to give away his ice cream and ask for donations to support the Boston Bear Cubs, a hockey team that includes players with physical and developmental disabilities—his brother being one of them, as he is autistic.
This decision transformed the local fundraiser into a hot topic in Norwood, a suburb located about an hour away from Boston.
On their first day of giving away ice cream, the supplies sold out in just 10 minutes, raising an impressive $1,000. As word spread about the fundraising effort and Danny’s conflict with the town officials, local media took notice and published stories, prompting many businesses in the area to host their own events to raise funds for the hockey team.
One such business was Furlong’s Candies, which collaborated with the Boston radio station WWBX-FM to hold a fundraiser in their parking lot. On that day, they raised an astounding $3,600, with lines of eager customers stretching outside the door.
“Danny was trying to do something good for his brother’s team—and this isn’t just any hockey team,” said Nancy Thrasher, co-owner of the store. “They need substantial support and more equipment… We thought this was a perfect chance for us to help.”
While Thrasher understood the health regulations that led to the stand’s closure, she still felt sympathy for Danny. “My heart broke for the kid. He just wanted to do something nice for his brother’s team,” she shared.
Meanwhile, town officials reported that they received a significant amount of hate mail and even death threats due to the incident, which they say has been wrongly portrayed by the media. They argued that Danny’s family had promoted their homemade ice cream on social media and had sold it before, but the letter to shut down the operation was only sent after they received multiple complaints and could not reach the family to discuss it, a claim the Dohertys dispute.
“Our staff had to deal with people upset because they received threats. Some individuals even found addresses online just for sending a letter to address a violation,” explained Tony Mazzucco, the town manager of Norwood. He noted that this is the first time in a long while that an ice cream stand has been shut down, clarifying that while Massachusetts laws permit lemonade stands and bake sales, they do not allow for the sale of homemade ice cream.
Mazzucco also expressed that there was a serious health concern, as homemade ice cream could potentially be contaminated with dangerous bacteria, including listeria monocytogenes and others.
Danny’s experience isn’t an isolated one; there have been cases elsewhere where children’s lemonade stands or bake sales have been closed for not having the proper business or health permits. In response, several states are now working to reduce regulations surrounding these small ventures.
Nancy Doherty expressed her distress upon hearing that town employees were threatened, stating that while her family never sold ice cream before, Danny did create an Instagram account to advertise the stand.
“I’m not upset that the town acted on a complaint. I’m just shocked that someone would complain at all. This was a minor operation—serving 20 friends and family isn’t a public health threat. It seems like someone was just looking to complain for the sake of it,” she remarked.
For Danny, the newfound attention has been a bit overwhelming. “There were so many people cheering my name at the fundraiser at Furlong’s, and I didn’t like it,” he said. “I ran away because all eyes were on me, and it felt too much.”
In the end, Danny’s initiative raised around $20,000 for the hockey team, a sum that exceeds the team’s total expenses for an entire year. This significant boost in funds will help secure the club’s financial stability for at least the next decade.
“The level of support from the community has truly amazed us,” said John Quill, the director and coach of the Boston Bear Cubs, as he accepted a donation from a local auto group at the Doherty household. “There are many wonderful people out there. Danny has inspired a lot of them to engage in kindness and support our team.”
