KXAN viewers shatter GoFundMe goal after dad's hilarious anti-catalog fundraiser plea
MARBLE FALLS, Texas (KXAN) — After KXAN published a story about a Marble Falls dad that was desperately trying skip the uncomfortable act of selling random kitchen products to his neighbors, but still fundraise the money needed for his young son’s school to build a chicken coop, viewers stepped up to lend the desperate dad a hand.
Within an hour of publishing our story, KXAN viewers had paid for a chicken coop at Tierra Vista Montessori School and some. As of Thursday afternoon, donors had pitched in enough money for the school to have three chicken coops and a little left over.
"These things that are you know, they're expensive, and they're not necessarily part of the general operations. So when we do something that's an enrichment type of program, something that adds culture to the school, it costs," Shellie Houck, owner and director of Tierra Vista Montessori School, said.
Houck says they do a variety of fundraisers but this time decided to go with the catalogs.
Inside: a “Let’s Taco About It” tortilla warmer, an avocado peeler, an egg bite mold (we don’t even know) and a gourmet melon baller, among other products you didn’t know you needed — and don’t.
Jacob Taylor, a teacher and father of a student at Tierra Vista, did not want to sell those products to his neighbors. The result was a hilarious GoFundMe.
“Please, give me $5. I swear I’m going to give it to the school, I just really, really, REALLY don’t want to have to go sell stuff to strangers,” Taylor wrote.
Because of the success of the GoFundMe, the school will be able to restore a chicken coop that has been donated, put a fence around the coop, add an additional coop area and put a plexiglass viewing window in the fence for the kids to see the chickens at all times.
Several community members also reached out to donate items and cash. One person donated chickens, another a barn blanket.
"It's incredible," Houck said. "I think it just shows that people are also probably burned out on that catalog-type fundraiser. And I understand, so I love it. I think he's created, you know, some interest for us that's been great for all of us."