Ten years ago, a seven-year-old in Boise, Idaho, read a book about the water crisis and decided to help. He didn’t have much to give, but he knew how to make muffins.
That seven-year-old was Harrison Wise, and his idea grew into one of the most loyal grassroots partnerships in Water for Good’s history. This year, the Wise family is hosting their tenth and final Muffins for Clean Water fundraiser, and it is underway now through Wednesday, October 7.
It started with a book
In 2016, Harrison read A Long Walk for Water, a novel about the water crisis in South Sudan. The story stayed with him. He told his mom, Janelle, that he wanted to do something about it, and his idea was to bake muffins.
Motivated by their Christian faith and a desire to serve, Janelle and her husband, Tyson (our colleague here at Water for Good), turned their son’s wish into a family calling. That fall, they set up a muffin stand on the corner of their Boise street.
They’ve been back every fall since.
A decade of showing up
Over ten years, the stand has raised more than $140,000 to help bring clean, safe water to communities served by Water for Good. Donors have pledged hundreds of dollars. Neighbors have returned year after year to buy a muffin and learn about the cause. What began as one child’s idea has become something the whole street looks forward to every fall.
That steady generosity matters because safe water that lasts takes more than a single project or a single donation. When partners, leaders, and churches show up year after year, safe water goes from a need hoped for to a need promised. The Wise family has been that kind of partner.
“When you give others the opportunity to participate in something good, they’ll take you up on it,” said Janelle. “Closing out our tenth year is bittersweet, but we’re grateful for every family who has stopped by our stand and every dollar that has gone toward giving someone clean water.”
Dave LeVan, CEO of Water for Good, put it this way: “The Wise family’s decade of generosity reflects the kind of grassroots partnership that sustains our work. Their commitment shows what’s possible when a family decides, together, to make a lasting difference, one muffin at a time.”
One last sale, one big goal
This year’s sale runs Wednesday, September 30 through Wednesday, October 7. Harrison is graduating, and the family is closing this chapter the way they started it: together.
Their goal for the final year is $25,000, with all proceeds going to Water for Good. That support helps us walk alongside communities as they build safe water, sanitation, and hygiene systems that keep working long after the work begins.
The menu includes:
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip
- Lemon Poppyseed
- Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Apple
- And more
As in years past, donations of $100 or more receive a basket of muffins delivered personally by the Wise family.
