Owner of small business “Annie’s Barn”– Anne Stowie, a resident of Kansas, found a unique way to solve students’ school lunch debt. In October, Annie crafted a mug to pay tribute to Donna Kelce, affectionately known as football’s beloved mom. The mug read, “It’s Mama Kelce’s world, and we’re all just living in it.”
Donna Kelce is mom to Tavis Kelce, the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Jason Kelce, who plays as the center for the Philadelphia Eagles. Shortly after Stowe designed the first mug, she received a surprising email in October from Donna Kelce.
“‘I’m like, what? I thought somebody was spoofing her account,” she said. “This is not Donna Kelce reaching out to Annie in Overland Park, Kansas. And sure enough, (she) says, ‘I saw this mug that you sell on your website, and you are so funny.’”
Mama Kelche loved the mugs so much that she ordered 20 pieces. “She wanted this mug. She thought this was hysterical,” Stowe told KMBC. “She ordered 20-some of them to give out as gifts.”
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Later, Stowe designed another mug featuring a Memoji of Donna Kelce, along with the recipe for her renowned chocolate chip cookies. Mama Kelce’s chocolate chip cookies became legendary after baking them for her sons before they faced off against each other in the 2023 Super Bowl.
Inspired by Mama Kelce’s delicious recipe, it’s no surprise that Stowe had to integrate the recipe into her new product. The mug costs $19, and $5 from each sale goes to Stowe’s “Out of the Red Friday” initiative, helping to pay off school lunch debt in the local area. Stowe had been making moderate sales until last week when a local news station picked up on her story.
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From there, it quickly gained national attention, with major outlets like People and The New York Post covering the unique product. Before she knew it, Stowe managed to raise $14,365. With Mama Kelce’s approval, she’s putting it towards clearing students’ lunch debt in her area.
“For a little company like mine to be able to give back over $10,000 to student lunches here in Kansas City − that’s a big deal,” Stowe told USA TODAY. Stowie also exchanged emails with Mama Kelce, asking for collaboration.
“I got brave enough just to write and say, ‘Hey, would you want to collaborate on doing your cookie recipe on a mug, and we’ll donate $5 from every mug sold to pay off school lunches?’ She replied immediately, “Yes,” Stowe shared with the local outlet.
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Stowe started paying off student lunch debt by selling yard signs celebrating last year’s Kansas City Chiefs playoff qualification. Because of her passion for the cause, she decided to pay off lunch debts owed by her parents. So she called Pawnee Elementary School in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, to find out what it would cost.
“Between selling the rest of the signs and donations, we raised $4,000,” she said. She added that giving the good news to a school official was special. “She started talking about how meaningful this was going to be for the kids, and then I’m crying, my daughter’s crying,” Stowe recalled. “It was this big deal. It just meant so much to me.”
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