Every Wednesday, Peggy Winckowski opens her home to cook and host breakfast for up to 35 teenagers before they head to Bishop DuBourg High School.
“That they want to come every day to eat breakfast when they could sleep in — I will feed them until the day they don't want to come anymore,” Winckowski said.
What started as a casual breakfast with her grandsons and a few of their friends in 2021 has turned into a weekly gathering — one that’s become particularly special after the loss of Peggy’s grandson, Sam Crowe, who was killed in a vehicle crash in 2022 at age 15.
“This was a terrible story that we tried to turn happy,” she said. “And it is happy. We have tears of joy, tears of sadness.”
Crowe’s friend Mya Dozier started coming to “Grandma Peggy’s Breakfast Club” after Sam died. Dozier doesn’t get to see her own grandmother often, so she cherishes Wednesday mornings at Winckowski’s house.
“It's a sense of community, especially if you don't feel like you belong anywhere. You belong here, no matter what,” she said. “We all care for each other and all went through a rough patch together, so essentially, it's like a support group for each other. And it keeps Sam's memory alive.”
Winckowski’s goal is to create a space where the teens feel safe to talk about what they’re going through, eat a good breakfast and know that someone has their backs.
“That's what grandmas do,” she said. “They can always come here; it will be a safe house.”
Join “Grandma Peggy’s Breakfast Club” in this special episode of St. Louis on the Air. Listen on Apple Podcast, Spotify or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
