Natalie Dubose of Ferguson, Missouri, is a small business owner who was proud to have opened her local cake bakery just over a year ago, but rioters from her own neighborhood destroyed her hard-earned shop this week. Now, thousands of Americans across the country have generously donated over $200,000 to help her rebuild.
Celebrities like actress Patricia Heaton and reality show star Brandi Glanville helped bring awareness to Dubose’s plight, but thousands of regular Americans all across the nation donated Dubose on a website set up to help her reopen her shop, Natalie’s Cakes and More.
“Thank you to actresses Patricia Heaton and Brandi Glanville for supporting me!” Dubose wrote. “I must have missed thousands of other tweets, and I’m so sorry I can’t mention them all. The sweet lady who offered money from her social security check brought me to tears. … Thank you to EVERYONE for the kind words, prayers, and emotional support.”
Thus far, Natalie’s GoFundMe fundraising page has raised nearly $230,000 to help the young woman re-open her shop, far more than she’ll need to do the job.
Dubose has said she is totally floored by the outpouring of support she has received on the fundraising page, as well as on social media. “I would thank everyone for their warm wishes, empathy, and support during this crazy difficult time,” she wrote.
The donor account reached almost $100,000 in the first 20 hours it was posted.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.