BARNSTABLE, MASS. (WHDH) - The 1856 Country Store in Barnstable’s Centerville village has been closed for two weeks but candies are still going out to Cape Cod kids who love sweets.
The iconic store, which has been in Joanne Uchman’s family for more than 40 years, closed its doors due to the coronavirus last month. When this happened, Uchman’s sister suggested they gather volunteers to make candy deliveries to local kids.
“We went as far as Eastham and then we were out in the Falmouth and Sandwich area too so we bagged up over 1,800 bags of candy,” Uchman recalled. “We put them on their front door stoop or their walkway and get back in the car and toot the horn and they’d come out of the house and grab the bags.”
Families who frequent the store say they loved the sweet treats, which offered a quick pick-me-up from their daily worries.
“It just gives joy to everybody and it just makes everybody happy,” one young girl said.
Candy delivery volunteer and parent Sarah Burns says people have showed their gratitude for this gesture.
“Just the simplest thing like a bag of candy on their doorstep – we saw the most grateful kids,” she said.
Uchmann added that the candy deliveries are a reminder that though these are trying times, there are still moments of sweetness.
“Children are just thrown into this and their normal is not normal anymore so for them to get a little bag of candy from their favorite place has been a big boost,” she said.
As for the store itself, Uchman says they’ve survived tougher times and will survive this.
“This store’s been here since before the Civil War so we’re just gonna be fine,” she said.
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