How to Support The Sunshine Stop Without Writing a Check

May 31

The Sunshine Stop — Excelsior, MN | thesunshinestop.org

Shine Bright! We say it— and we mean it. At The Sunshine Stop, our Sunshine Squad members aged 15 and up show up every day we are open and do exactly that. They hand-craft lemonade, make bracelets, mugs, dog blankets, and so much more. They take pride in their work. They love meeting people. And this year, they’re getting their very own store in Excelsior, MN.

None of it happens without community. And here’s the thing — supporting us doesn’t have to mean writing a check. There are so many ways to be part of what we’re building. Here are six of our favorites.

1. Shop With Us — and Bring Everyone You Know

Every mug, bracelet, and dog blanket you buy from the Sunshine Squad is made with real care by real people. When you shop with us — at a pop-up or soon, at our new Excelsior store — you’re directly funding meaningful employment for our employees.

We also carry a selection of curated items in the shop, so there’s always something worth finding. Come browse, come often, and come back.

2. Come to a Pop-Up

Our pop-up events are honestly the best part of what we do. The Sunshine Squad serves fresh-squeezed lemonade, sells handmade goods, and gets to do what they love most: connect with people in their community. These events are joyful, energetic, and genuinely fun.

Show up. Buy something. Say hello to the Sunshine Squad — ask them how their day is going, what their favorite food is, what they’re doing this weekend. Talk to them like the young adults they are, because that’s exactly what they are. And then tell everyone you know to come next time.

3. Give the Gift of Sunshine Squad Goods

Looking for a gift that actually means something? Our handmade items are perfect for birthdays, holidays, teacher appreciation, and just about any occasion you can think of. They’re made with pride, and every purchase supports an employee who earned that sale.

Keep us in mind the next time you need a gift. It’s one of the easiest ways to support the Squad while giving someone something they’ll genuinely love.

4. Spread the Word

We’re a young organization — founded in 2024 — and a lot of people in our own community still don’t know we exist. You can change that.

Follow us on social media and share our posts
Tag us when you visit or make a purchase
Tell a friend, a neighbor, a coworker — especially anyone with a family member who has a disability
Leave us a kind review online

Word of mouth is genuinely one of the most powerful things you can do for us. We’re growing fast, and we want the whole community to grow with us.

5. Volunteer

There is always more to do than hours in the day, and we are grateful for every set of hands that shows up. Whether it’s helping at a pop-up, supporting our new storefront, taking photos, assisting with social media, or pitching in behind the scenes — volunteers make a real difference at The Sunshine Stop.

Volunteering can also look different in every season. For example, we are especially excited to partner with The Polka Dot House (@the.polka.dot.house) this summer to offer a Wednesday art internship experience, creating additional opportunities for creativity, connection, and hands-on learning within our community.

In the fall as well as throughout the summer, we partner with other community businesses to bring social opportunities to our employees so they can continue building friendships, confidence, and community engagement all year long.

The only limit to what volunteering can be is what we can dream together. ☀️

If you’ve got time and heart, we’d love to have you.

https://form.jotform.com/260705094842155

6. Be a Voice for Inclusion in Your Community

The reason The Sunshine Stop exists is because when young people with disabilities age out of school, meaningful employment options are far too scarce. That’s a community problem, and it takes a community to fix it.

You can help by talking about this gap, advocating for inclusion in your workplace, and supporting organizations — like ours — that are working to close it. As we like to say: we want to prepare our employees for the world ahead, and plant seeds in our communities so they are prepared in return.

Every Action Counts

Supporting the Sunshine Squad doesn’t require a big budget — it requires a big heart. Show up. Shop. Share our story. And come say hi when we open our doors in Excelsior. We’ll save you a lemonade.

Shine Bright! | thesunshinestop.org

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