SPICER - Every day for the past six summers, Dave Hammerschmidt of Spicer has seen between 40 to 140 people pull up to his Country Stop produce stand on state Highway 23 in Spicer.
The customers walk up, chat with Hammerschmidt and pick out their choice of fresh vegetable and fruits. The customers pay for the produce and often leave a tip for Hammerschmidt. However, this year is a little different. Instead of adding the tips to his personal income, Hammerschmidt has been putting the coins and dollars in a jar labeled "Support Our Local Hospice." He began this on Memorial Day to help a service that helped his family more than he could describe.
More than 10 years ago, Hammerschmidt's mother was terminally ill with cancer. With the desire to pass away at her own home in Sleepy Eye, Hammerschmidt's family relied on volunteers from hospice in Sleepy Eye for six months.
Hammerschmidt said the volunteers not only helped his family get through the emotional experience but also made his mother as comfortable as possible.
"It was a Godsend," Hammerschmidt said. "And it was just nice knowing that they were there even though we were always around. It was a blessing."
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As the local hospice administered care and offered professional advice, the family was quickly impressed by the public service, said Hammerschmidt's wife, Nancy.
So since Memorial Day, Hammerschmidt has been raising money tip by tip and will continue to do so until Labor Day. He said he has already eclipsed $400 in change and dollar bills and hopes to break $500. He even has a hospice volunteer helping him get the money to Rice Hospice in Willmar.
"I stop (at Hammerschmidt's stand) all the time and buy, and I saw this jar sitting there and I said 'What is that?'" Rice Hospice volunteer Dee Sherman said about her involvement in the effort. "He said 'I collect money for hospice' and I said 'Really? I am a hospice volunteer.'... He then told me he would really like someone to contact hospice so he could give that money to them."
Sherman quickly decided to help Hammerschmidt by organizing the donation with Rice Hospice.
Hammerschmidt estimated that over 100 people donated during the summer, including several customers who donated several times.
"Nancy and I are just having fun doing it, and all the people in the community are helping," Hammerschmidt said. "It's a community project."
And the New London-Spicer community has responded, Hammerschmidt said, as a generous and sincere group of people. Looking back, he said he hopes to exploit the effort enough to double the money raised next year or pull someone in who would like to match the amount raised. Doubling the amount might take a little more begging, though, he said.
"$500 probably isn't a lot of money but it's a good start," Hammerschmidt said. "This may be a small amount but (hospice) can stretch a dollar farther than probably anybody."
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Sometimes a worthy effort is like a calm pond -- all it takes is a small ripple to get something big going. Hammerschmidt said he hopes this is only the beginning of a future wave of charity from his community.
"We don't expect anyone to give, but we'll accept it from everybody," Hammerschmidt said. "And I'd like to thank everybody for their donations because we've been having fun collecting it."
