BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A Porterville business owner is donating 100% of his sales this week to help a family grieving the loss of a 1-year-old child who died after being left in a hot car.
Scotty Hubbard, owner of Scotty's Country Time Lemon Shakers, organized the fundraiser to support the family of Amillio Gutierrez, who died on June 29 after being left in a car for more than two hours.
"Scotty contacted me at home, he called me and he said, you know, that 'I would like to do something for you', he goes, 'I have a small business', and he says, 'all the proceeds will go to your family and to the funeral home, any expenses that you have,'" said Katie Martinez, Amillio's grandmother.
Martinez described the difficult time her family is experiencing following the tragedy.
"It's been tough, I mean to say we're holding it up is to say the least because we're not holding it up, it been really hard," Martinez said.
Martinez is also the mother-in-law of Maya Hernandez, the woman accused of leaving her two children in a car outside a Bakersfield spa.
As the family grieves, the Porterville community has stepped up to offer support.
"A little bit of peace that it gives me in my heart that I'll be able to give my grandson a final resting, just something, so everybody knows that he wasn't just a kid who was left in a car that nobody cared about, because we loved him a lot, we loved both of them a lot," Martinez said.
Hubbard shared his motivation for organizing the fundraiser.
"I hope this fundraiser helps the family to lay the baby to rest, I want the baby to be with Jesus and for him not to be in the car anymore suffering. What's most important is that he is laid to rest and he's in the arms of the Lord," Hubbard said in a statement.
The fundraiser has resonated with local residents who are encouraging others to participate.
"I would say, come support them, we've all had hard times, we've all been through a lot of things in life and we all know we need it, at some of the hardest times in the life, it's the community coming together that really helps," said Patsy Lackey, a Porterville resident.
Hubbard will be donating 100% of his sales through Friday and will update the location of his stand on Facebook so people can find and support the cause.
The family is also distributing purple ribbons in memory of Amillio.
"If they're not wanting to buy anything, we have these purple ribbons in memory of Amillio so that we can promote the purple ribbon so that people see the ribbon and know, hey check your car, make sure your kids aren't in your car, save a kid's life," Martinez said.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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