DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - A generous South Florida girl set up a bake sale to financially help the owner of a Davie pet store recover from a recent burglary, where over 100 birds were taken.
Earlier this week, 6-year-old Zoe Szura gifted $500 to Charlie Hong, the owner of Birdhouse, along North 68th Avenue and Stirling Road, to help him rebuild from the burglary. Zoe is a bird lover herself and purchased her own bird — Manu, an 8-year-old African Gray Parrot — from Hong’s store in 2020.
“We wanted to help him because he got robbed, and we wanted to help him, so he can feel a little better,” Zoe said. “We baked cookies, and we give the money to Charlie.”
Surveillance video from Feb. 23 captured a person carrying out bird cages — one in each hand — from the Davie store. Inside of the store, the power was cut, cages were toppled and a hole was cut in the ceiling, which the burglars climbed through. The stolen birds were different species.
When Zoe found out someone recently stole around 140 birds from Hong, she wanted to help by setting up a bake sale to raise money. She and her mother, Glenda Szura, baked more than 90 cookies to raise money for Hong’s business.
“She came up with the idea of baking cookies and fundraising for Charlie,” Glenda said.
“She walked in with two boxes of cookies,” Hong said. “Her donation really touched my soul, healed me through the last seven days. For the little baby girls who think that much for other people, she felt the pain. For everything, whatever you guys have done for me, I really, really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.”
More than $20,000 has been raised for the Birdhouse, and friends are keeping an eye out for people trying to resell the stolen birds.
The missing birds, worth more than $70,000 in total, have not been recovered.
If you have any information on last week’s burglary, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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