WRITTEN BY JUDY HARRISON
Dorian Maxwell Pillsbury celebrated his 12th birthday this fall. As he looked at his cake, he wondered how many kids don’t get to have cakes, frosting, and candles for their birthdays because their families can’t afford them.
That sparked the Brewer boy — nicknamed D-Max — into action. He launched a fundraising effort that allowed him to donate nearly 400 birthday kits to Bangor area food pantries so no one experiencing food insecurity would go without a cake on their birthday.
“I figured, ‘Hey, I have this beautiful cake in front of me,’” he said, “I need to figure out a way other people can have this.”
D-Max’s efforts attracted the attention of local television stations and those stories were picked up by 50 stations nationwide. Word also spread on social media and donations came in from across the country. The Penobscot Theatre Company joined the act and asked theatergoers attending its fall production of “Birthday Candles” for donations.
“My final delivery [was] to the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor,” he posted on social media in October. “We dropped off 58 birthday cake kits! It makes me happy to know so many kids are going to have an extra happy birthday now! Thank you!”
D-Max’s mom, Lisa Liberatore of Brewer, and her family strongly believe in philanthropy and community building. A teacher, entrepreneur, author, and investor, Liberatore said that she is teaching her son the importance of fundraising and volunteering. Her father, Dr. A.U. “Lib” Liberatore, a Brewer dentist and orthodontist who died in 2023, ran the Angel Tree Project and co-founded Brewer Youth Hockey, a program his grandson participates in.
D-Max’s fundraising efforts started five years ago when he was a second grader at Brewer Community School, according to his mom. He asked Liberatore for extra snacks to share with kids whose families couldn’t afford them.
“Maine covers breakfast and lunch but not snacks,” she said. “So, often kids share snacks with their friends or teachers pay for them out of their own pocket.”
D-Max now sells hats, T-shirts, hoodies, and teddy bears on his website at thedmax.com. Ten percent of proceeds from those sales go to the snack fund. He also posts regularly on his Facebook page.
Since 2019, D-Max has raised more than $4,000 to purchase bikes and helmets for the kids at the Boys and Girls Club, and more than $2,000 to purchase a new PA system for Brewer Little League, all while continuing to raise money for the snack fund. To raise money for his projects, D-Max has solicited funds from individuals and organizations, set up lemonade, cider, and hot cocoa stands, and sold D-Max merchandise.
His efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2020, he was named volunteer of the year by the Heart of Maine United Way for his work with the Dorian and Christine B Foundation delivering food to those fighting cancer. This fall, he won the Maine Venture Fund Startup Challenge in the K-8 category for his work with D-Max Merch. He won the $1,000 prize over more than 150 applicants and is spending that money to have his website improved.
Since the pandemic, Liberatore has home schooled D-Max. She said that his volunteer work provides valuable lessons in entrepreneurship. A next step will be for him to create a non-profit for donations to go through.
D-Max wants to play professional hockey when he grows up. In addition to playing hockey in Brewer, D-Max also plays baseball, football, golf, and video games, but he plans to continue fundraising when he sees a need because he finds it so rewarding.
“It’s truly exciting to make people happy,” he said.
For more information, visit his website at thedmax.com or his Facebook page at facebook.com/207kids.
