That question can be answered by Gwen Mack, aka the lemon drop lady.

The lemon drop lady is not a super hero per se, but one could easily consider Mack one with her selfless efforts to give back to patients with cancer.

Mack, who is not new to putting time and effort into helping those dealing with cancer, has been doing so since 2017 with the help of homemade therapeutic corn bags. The cotton-sewn bags full of six to six-and-a-half cups of corn — and sometimes soybeans — can be used for both hot and cold comfort, but Mack said many patients with cancer use them to help warm their hands after chemotherapy treatments.

Mack started out delivering the bags to patients in 2017 at the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute – New Ulm, which is now the Allina Health Cancer Institute – New Ulm, getting the idea to start putting the bags together by her nephew, Ryan Scharfencamp, who made corn bags and gave them to family members.

While cleaning corn was once a bigger chore for Gwen Mack, her uncle, Bob Zinniel made things easier for her as he constructed a wooden sifter for his niece to use.

“I started sewing the corn bags, delivering them and then I was liking sewing them so I started sewing more than I could give to deliver,” Mack said. “And I thought I’d just start selling them at a craft show. My first craft show I think I sold $200. … I felt guilty just keeping the money and selling it, so that’s when I thought, ‘Let’s do something for the oncology patients.’

“It kind of started from that very first one … I just wanted to not keep the money because I felt it wouldn’t be right because I was actually selling the overflow of what I was making, what they couldn’t take because they had enough, and every oncology patient that came in got a new corn bag.”

Putting her relaxing hobby of sewing and passion to help together has seen Mack make almost 400 bags in the past year. Despite an ample amount of corn bags available for patients, Mack wasn’t going to retire any of her sewing machines and she wasn’t going to stop offering her help in other ways either.

This opened things up for Mack to donate lemon drops.

“We actually had a suggestion box out in oncology saying, ‘We have this money that Gwen’s making at craft shows, what would you guys like to do with this money because she’s doing this for you,'” Mack said. “And that’s kind of just where it took off from because somebody suggested lemon drops. You get a metallic taste and you also get a dry mouth [from chemotherapy treatments]. … So I was going down every week filling the lemon drops and on an average, I was going through a seven-pound bag a month.”

Submitted photo Gwen Mack, right, poses for a photo with her sister, Lisa Kroells, left.

Going to the New Ulm Medical Center’s treatment center every Monday to fill up its candy dish with Napoleon brand lemon drops, Mack quickly earned her “lemon drop lady” nickname.

Mack is happy to continue helping, but she is also thankful for all the help she gets. Two weeks ago, a farmer from Lake Crystal, Lance Goettl, had a worker of his, Eldon Jones, drop off 500 pounds of corn. Maurice Seidl, who works for farmer Frank Guggisberg of Klossner, Minnesota, also donated corn this past fall during harvest.

Many times the corn has to be cleaned, however. This sends Mack out to her garage and driveway to shake the dust and debris loose with the help of her sifter, which was made and given to her by her uncle, Bob Zinniel.

As for the fabric material Mack uses, she gets it pre-cut and discounted from The Thimble Box in New Ulm. When it comes to sewing that material together, Mack relies on four machines to make things easier on her.

“I’ve got four working machines and the reason why I want so many is so that I can put a different thread in each one,” Mack said. “Black, white, red, earth tone, because it saves time. I usually start out my bags so anything that takes a red thread, I’ll put all those together and fill them. Last night I was down doing them and I was able to get a whole clump done with all red, then I’d put all the black thread.

Mack sews together a tractor-themed corn bag with her Kenmore brand sewing machine

“So, if you kind of coordinate it that way, because when you sew it shut, you can see the thread on the exterior side. When I sew them together, originally, I usually just use all black or all white. But the different machines help me to hop from machine to machine instead of always changing the bobbin out and the top thread.”

Mack’s most trusted sewing machines include a Kenmore brand her parents got her in 1981 as a graduation gift. Mack thinks she’s only oiled that Kenmore once since she’s had it and calls it her “old faithful.” Another favorite machine of hers is a Janome brand that Brenda Seidl, owner of The Thimble Box, gave to her courtesy of an anonymous donor who requested the machine go to a good cause.

The corn bags can be used by anyone for aching pains or soothing comfort, and Mack charges just $5 per bag. New this year for Mack is making covers available to purchase and slip onto plain bags. This will allow the covers to be washed and changed whenever one wishes. The original corn bags are not washable.

Mack said any time patients with cancer approach her at a local vendor event, however, she’ll gladly give them a corn bag for free. Along with making care baskets to give away at events and benefits, Mack has also given bags away for free to people who have contacted her asking on behalf of a loved one with cancer.

All of Mack’s proceeds go to getting more material and lemon drops.

Mack sews and sells corn bags with a variety of different themes and patterns, with sports and animals being some of her more popular selections.

While she doesn’t do this for recognition, Mack continues to draw attention and appreciation around the area, including at local Tea for Cancer fundraiser events in New Ulm.

“When I go to the Tea for Cancer, the one speaker that has been there for the last two years, [Brad Haynes], before he speaks he’ll turn to me and he’ll say, ‘Thank you for the lemon drops, I still eat them to this day,'” Mack said. “And he says, ‘You don’t know how much they help me.’ … I sent his wife home with lemon drops again this year.”

Mack’s efforts and interest in sewing her corn bags together hasn’t wavered over the years. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

Mack’s sister, Lisa Kroells, was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and given 6-11 months to live. Now three years later, Kroells has persisted and defied that diagnosis and is currently in trial treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, where she flies every 21 days to be in this trial.

Seeing the courage and persistence her sister has shown has given Mack a whole new sense of inspiration.

“She was the speaker for Tea for Cancer last year,” Mack said of her sister. “Since her cancer and her fight and what she has to go through, what I do is nothing, but it gives people in her shoes comfort.”

Inflation over the years has led to Mack seeing bigger price tags for both corn and lemon drops. Mack said when she first started buying the lemon drops, they were $37.50 for a bulk bag on Amazon. They now cost around $70 per bulk bag. Corn that Mack used to purchase for around $5 per 50-pound bag now is $10 per bag.

Mack has been appreciative of all the help and donations she gets, but the more help she gets, the more help she can give.

Thread and material that is 100% cotton, along with corn donations keep Mack’s good cause running smoothly. Those interested in helping Mack in her non-profit fight to assist those with cancer or those with purchase requests can contact her at Lemondroplady3@gmail.com.