For the mother-daughter duo who own and operate Vanilla Bean Creamery in Elkhart, IN, donating 900 ice cream sundaes to Elkhart General Hospital on April 20 was a way to give back to the community that has welcomed them in their first year of business. They gladly offered these sweet treats to support the healthcare workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clara Miller and her daughter Krista Berkey, originally from Shipshewana, IN, opened their ice cream shop in downtown Elkhart last year and have kept it open during the shutdown in response to demand, but with a limited staff of three.
“This was our first year that we were open, so we were not sure if we were going to make it,” Miller said. “We just have ice cream, but people keep coming, so we stay open.”
The idea to donate their handmade ice cream came about through conversation with Miller, Berkey and Ryann DeMoss, senior gift officer for Beacon Health System.
“I called the hospital and they said they had been getting a lot of pastas and sandwiches, but not a lot of desserts,” Miller said.
While the hospital has received many meal donations over the last two months, this was different because, according to DeMoss, they shared the sundaes with all associates, not just frontline workers.
“It was their way of recognizing the work of our frontline staff,” DeMoss said. “But they took it further and wanted to show their gratitude to the entire hospital.”
In just six hours, Miller and Berkey baked and cut brownies to a uniform size, mixed five batches of ice cream and assembled the sundaes to be delivered to healthcare workers. Strawberry, lemon, dark chocolate, coffee toffee and their popular Amish peanut butter were on the menu.
“It was so delightful and nice of them to donate all of the ice cream to us,” said Esther Rodriguez, chemotherapy scheduler at Elkhart General Hospital. “I’m thankful for a small business making a huge impact for so many of us.”
After only one year in business, Vanilla Bean Creamery has become a household name in Elkhart.
“There was quite the line to get Vanilla Bean Creamery ice cream when the employees heard it was going to be there,” said Shannon Oakes, gift officer for the Beacon Health Foundation. “They are certainly a favorite.”
Since donating those 900 ice cream sundaes to the hospital, Miller has observed an increase in healthcare workers, along with fire and police personnel, coming to the creamery for a treat.
“We’re new to this community, but Elkhart has been so nice to us,” she said. “We’re glad to do it.”
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