It was a “really scary” moment for seven-year-old Maddy Vanden Dungen when her lemonade stand was robbed by teen boys in Saskatoon’s Westview Neighbourhood on Monday.
“They took all of my candy and grabbed my juice and ran off,” she said.
“My mom called the police, and then the police went to get the bad guys.”
Responding officers arrested a 16-year-old with outstanding warrants and a 14-year-old in possession of a knife. Police then returned the stolen money to Vanden Dungen.
Jade Floata said she could tell it “wasn’t right” when a teenage boy started guzzling lemonade at her daughter’s stand, putting away cup after cup.
“He was crushing up the cups and kind of threw them towards her and the lawn,” Floata said, noting she brought her daughter inside of the house and gave the description of the teenagers to police.
“Maddy was sick to her stomach,” Floata said. “She was throwing up and crying.”
Floata said the responding police officers were very comforting, and she said she’s thankful for how the situation was handled.
![Maddy Vanden Dungen at her lemonade stand.](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/653/files/2024/07/lemonadestand.png)
Maddy Vanden Dungen plans to keep her stand open and invest the money into a lemonade truck. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)
“They were so sweet to her,” Floata said. “They said that they got the bad guys so she can sleep tonight knowing the bad guys are gone.”
The lemons life threw on Monday haven’t stopped Vanden Dungen from making lemonade. She said she plans to keep her stand open and eventually invest the money she makes into a lemonade truck.
Floata said her daughter had just bought the lemonade stand with her own money, and she has neighborhood regulars that stop by to visit her.
But after the robbery, Floata said she doesn’t feel it’s safe for her daughter to sell juice on the front lawn anymore. But, she said, multiple people have reached out to offer Vanden Dungen the chance to set up her stand on their property.
The Saskatoon Berries baseball team announced they will have Vanden Dungen’s lemonade stand at the next home game on Thursday.
“I’m very grateful for the community and the kindness (Maddy) has received,” Floata said.