KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Libby Roepe and her neighbor Noël Fallon have ordered dozens and dozens of boxes of cereal.
"Some of these are things my mom never let me have and now this is my chance to try them," Roepe said. "There's a big all out brawl between original captain crunch, crunch berries and peanut butter captain crunch."
Roepe's favorite is Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Whether someone is a Cinnamon Toast Crunch fan or a Kix fan, there will be several options to choose from at their Sunday event called Cereal for Breakfast.
"Everyone who gets to come to the event gets to try a little sample of those things their mom never let them have," Roepe said.
The event started out as an idea.
"Noël my neighbor is one of the first people I called, and it was kind of a whisper," Roepe said. "And I told her, 'hey, I'm thinking about throwing an event that's just about cereal,' she's like 'yes, I'm in.'"
The name, Cereal for Breakfast, sounds light-hearted, but also has a deeper meaning, stemming from the devastation seen across the country.
"Cereal for breakfast was born just after the Covenant school shooting in Nashville and Uvalde, and the number of those big headline shootings had just left me feeling really hopeless," Roepe said. "Some of those last memories that too many parents have with their little ones, getting them out the door, they argued about how their hair looked or what paw patrol shirt they were going to wear and some of those last memories are having a bowl of cereal with their kiddos."
The event will raise funds for organizations working to end gun violence.
"We're trying to treat that with reverence , while creating something that is approachable and nostalgic," Roepe said. "And maybe a little bit enjoyable so that people can come together, share common ground and come up with some non-partisan solutions to the gun violence endemic that were enduring."
As dozens of boxes of cereal are stacked and balloons get ready for display, it's the three bowls in Roepe's kitchen sink and every empty seat at the breakfast table, that serve as a reminder of the purpose.
"I'd walk in the door after dropping off the kids and these three cereal bowls are in the sink right now, but they're usually splattered all over the kitchen with milk rings and messes right next to them," Roepe said. "It kind of struck me that what if they weren't there...what if I wasn't cleaning up this mess everyday?"
The event is this Sunday, July 9th from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Rochester Brewing and Roasting. Tickets are $50.
Their goal is also to create a platform where others can start their own 'Cereal for Breakfast' events where they live, whether it's in Kansas City or elsewhere, to raise funds to end gun violence.
