SHEFFIELD, Ill. — If you ask 10-year-old Cali Pistole what her biggest passion is, the answer comes quickly. She loves to help others. And this Christmas, she decided to turn that passion into a heartwarming holiday project.
Pistole made and sold hot cocoa bombs to raise money for families in need around her community of Sheffield, Illinois. All of the proceeds were used to buy Angel Tree gifts, brand-new clothing to donate and bath products for local nursing homes.
It all started with a Facebook post, asking the community to order a homemade cocoa bomb and chocolate spoon for $5 each. Pistole offered four different flavors: milk chocolate, white chocolate, peppermint and Oreo.
According to her mother and father, Cassi and Derek Pistole, the orders began flying in so quickly, that the family could barely keep up!
With the help of her mother and two sisters, Pistole made 300 hot cocoa bomb orders. Those sales, plus donations from her community, fundraised about $1,500.
Pistole used that money to buy Christmas presents for eight Henry and Bureau County children from her local Walmart's Angel Tree. She also purchased 12 coats, new hats and gloves to donate to a local nonprofit The Store, which offers free, gently-used clothing to anyone who needs it. Then Pistole used the remaining money to buy 75 items from Bath & Body Works. All of those products were given to local nursing homes.
Pistole joined The Current on News 8 to discuss why she wanted to start this fundraiser in the first place and what her plans are for a 2024 edition. You can watch her full interview in the above video.
Tune into The Current from 4 to 5 p.m. on weekdays to catch even more live interviews impacting you, your family and your hometown as well as all of the biggest headlines of the day.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel