Organizations and schools using children to raise money for their projects is nothing new. Still, it has always been a questionable practice, depending on what sort of labor and compensation is involved. And one New York mother of a 6-year-old girl feels that the so-called prizes for her daughter’s school fundraiser are “comically bad.” So bad, in fact, that thousands of users on Reddit believe that the school is being downright exploitative with what they are expecting children to do in exchange for very meager rewards.
Based on the photo the mom shared on r/mildlyinfuriating, the fundraiser her daughter’s school is participating in is sponsored by Krause’s Homemade Candy. According to the business’s website, “participating organizations will receive fifty percent of all proceeds.” These proceeds come from selling Krause’s candy, hundreds of dollars’ worth of candy. To get specific, the school wants the 6-year-old girl, with the obvious help of her mom, to sell up to $1K worth of homemade candy. And what does all that hard labor get in return? A bag of candy and a tour of the business’s shop.
“When I was in highschool our chocolate fundraiser was for a trip to Washington DC,” remarked a Redditor in the comments. Hundreds of others chimed in, sharing how they also would go on trips or spend a fun day at Chuck E. Cheese’s. But to sell thousands of dollars of candy in exchange for a bag of candy likely worth a minuscule fraction of that? This shouldn’t be legally allowed. “I absolutely detest this thing and it really should be banned from schools,” protests a commenter. “What a nasty way to exploit children and their families. Disgusting behaviour,” added another.
Several people joke that this fundraiser is just prepping children for the adult world, where a minimum wage worker will earn their boss tens of thousands of dollars a week while they make $15 an hour. But at the very least, that’s technically legal for older teens and young adults. Forcing very young minors to sell candy for thousands of dollars to fund who-knows-what is super shady and shouldn’t be a thing, especially not in our current economy.
