Not your average lemonade stand. (l to r) Natalia Kuiken, Lexi Bartham, and Jaelynn Dreckman sold popsicles, cupcakes, tattoos, and beaded bracelets raising money for Hy-Vee's Pack the Bus project. The fundraiser provides school supplies for back-to-school students in need. [Click to enlarge]

Lemonade provides the perfect combination of sweet and sour. But a lemonade stand organized by three budding philanthropists on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Second Street provided more sweet than sour.

On August 7-8, Lexi Bartham, 10; Natalia Kuiken, 8 1/2; and Jaelynn Dreckmann, 6 1/2; set up a lemonade stand with all proceeds benefiting the Le Mars Hy-Vee's Pack the Bus fundraiser, which collects and donates school supplies for back-to-school students in need.

"We thought this would be a nice thing to do," said Kuiken, a soon-to-be third grader at Kluckhohn Elementary School.

"There are lots of kids who can't afford supplies for school," agreed Bartham. "We hope the proceeds buy calculators, notebooks, and pencils for kids so they can write and learn math."

Besides lemonade, the girls also sold homemade chocolate cupcakes and beaded bracelets, faux tattoos and popsicles.

Day one of the thirst quenching fundraiser the trio raised $30.

"The customers have just been coming and going!" commented Dreckmann who will be a first grader this fall at Franklin Elementary School.

"The second day has been kinda slow," she said.

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The service-savvy girls attributed cooler weather and less merchandise at a neighboring garage sale to their slower business.

As for their own school shopping, Natalia said she's the only one who's purchased pencils and notebooks for the upcoming school year.

"We've just been so busy getting things perfect for the sale we haven't had time," said Kluckhohn fifth grader, Bartham, whose mother coordinated the nearby garage sale.

Customers left the lemonade stand with chocolate mustaches and fake rose tattoos while helping students receive the supplies they need before heading back-to-school.

"We have had a lot of nice people come to our stand," Dreckmann said. "We're having a lot of fun, too."