UNITY — Two girls worked hard all year to help those who struggle at Christmas.
Cousins Payton and Rayne Zunti sold pumpkins last year with the proceeds going to the Secret Santa program in Unity. They decided to take on the endeavour again this year, starting some seeds indoors and some sown directly in the ground.
The duo did get some help from moms Krista and Jennifer although this was their project. The pair helped with watering over the summer as well as keeping an eye on their crop as the pumpkins started to grow.
“Rayne got excited when the vines broke out of the garden fence and started growing along the driveway,” says Jennifer.
She adds “Payton was counting their pumpkins almost daily.”
The biggest job was bringing in all the produce before the frost hit. Both Payton and Rayne were on hand to help with this task. Payton and her mom, Krista, also built the stand the girls used to market their crop.
The two estimated they had between 140 and 150 pumpkins in total for sale. They sold many varieties including carving, baking, baby and white pumpkins as well as squash and small decorative gourds.
The pair raised $250, deciding to keep $25 each for all their hard work. The rest will be donated to Secret Santa again this year.
