Half of Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream’s sales on Wednesday, Aug. 30, will go towards empowering Latinx and Hispanic communities through Columbia’s Centro Latino.

Sparky’s announced the 50/50 benefit via Instagram, stating that Centro Latino, “provides assistance to immigrants as they become acclimated to their new environment with its different laws, customs, and language.” 

In addition to donating half of sales, Sparky’s will be providing a donation bucket, from which all of the collections will go to Centro Latino. This event is a part of a recurring 50/50 day program, which has previously included fundraisers for scholarships for local high schools, and a fundraiser for The Center Project, a Columbia-based LGBTQ+ community center.

Tony Layson, the general manager of Sparky’s, organized the 50/50 day program in order to draw attention to these other organizations and encourage people to check them out and donate. He believes that as a central member of downtown Columbia’s community, and as an organization with a significant social media presence, Sparky’s is obligated to help give back to the community.

Notable services of Centro Latino include legal assistance for naturalization “El Comedor Popular” — meaning The People’s Diner — which is a kitchen providing meals to the community. The organization also provides healthcare literacy, translation services and after school programs for community members.