Pediatric Cancer Survivor Hosts Bake Sale at Pennsylvania Hardware Store

Brooke Ross, a three-year brain cancer survivor, recently hosted her very own bake sale raising funds for pediatric cancer research at J.B. Hostetter & Sons, a family-owned hardware store in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.

J.B. Hostetter & Sons hosts many community events throughout the year, like other bake sales and car washes. The Ross family heard about these events and reached out about having Brooke’s bake sale at the store.

“We host community events regularly, whether it be for the local schools, sports teams, Boy and Cub Scouts, the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank, which we do every 8 weeks, or in Brooke’s case, cancer research,” says Sean Keane, assistant general manager at J.B. Hostetter & Sons.

On a Saturday in May, Brooke and her group of sellers set up a tent in front of the store and sold a variety of treats, from hot dogs, cupcakes and muffins to rice crispy treats and pineapple upside down cake.

Brooke’s bake sale, titled “Bake Away Brain Cancer,” raised money for The Cure Starts Now, a cancer research organization dedicated to curing cancers of all types. The organization specifically targets one of the most deadly and difficult cancers to cure: pediatric brain cancer.

Keane says the community enjoyed the event and customer turnout was outstanding.

“Customers loved it,” Keane says. “We honestly haven’t seen that much traffic in a while during a community event. Brooke also has a great support group surrounding her in Ohio with The Cure Starts Now and all over Pennsylvania.”

J.B. Hostetter & Sons was honored to serve as Brooke’s platform to celebrate her survivorship and raise money for the cause, Keane says.

“For our store it means a lot to be able to host such an amazing cause and to see the turnout that it provided was amazing,” he says. “Our community constantly gives to us, so we try in every way to give back.”