At Bishop DuBourg High School in St. Louis, Missouri, the Wednesday Breakfast club has existed for some time: yet, over the past few years it has undergone some major changes. Having met at a local diner, in 2021, one of its members, Sam Crowe, said “You know, my grandma could cook better than this,” according to CBS news. The next week, and for nearly every school year Wednesday following, they visited Crowe’s grandma, Peggy Winckowski’s house for breakfast. The weekly waffles, bacon, eggs, and hearty discussion held a steady constant up until July 2022 when Crowe was unexpectedly killed in a hit-and-run. In recollections from his friends in the Seattle Times, “He was the kindest person ever. He was so sweet and nice to everyone,” aid 16-year-old Maddie Ruggeri, who only became part of the Wednesday Breakfast Club after Crowe’s passing. 

Out of this tragedy however, came a positive, as the following Wednesday, the Breakfast Club returned and have continued to come back to 66-year-old Grandma Peggy’s in the wake of her grandson’s death. On top of this, the teens’ numbers began to increase to about 30, and that first week, “they came here every day for the whole week. They just wanted to make sure that I was OK,” according to Winckowski talking to the Seattle Times. With the added number of people, sometimes the house can get crowded, but “it’s got a lot of love in the walls.” And according to interviews from other students, Winckowski is very similar to her grandson, described by Cory Macke, an original member of the Wednesday Breakfast Club, who said “She is the kindest, most caring soul. She is very selfless. It’s never about her.” 

Although Winckowski, during the first year of hosting the club, paid all the costs herself, local businesses and families started to take over for the costs of groceries, even including student donations. This was especially important given Grandma Peggy’s husband has dementia and Parkinson’s disease, as well as being on a fixed income. Still, Winckowski hopes to pay when she can, hoping to set an example for her “many more grandkids,” who she cares for with her specialty pancakes and bacon, French toast, cinnamon buns, and “Grandma McMuffins.”

At 66, Winckowski certainly benefits from having the teenagers for support, but the feeling is mutual. In an interview of some of the students by CBS News, Mya Dozier said “We benefit from her, she benefits from us. It’s like we feed off each other.” Building memories, laughing together, and growing as a community through Wednesday breakfast at Grandma’s is helping them all move forward from Crowe’s death.