In downtown Phoenix’s Civic Space Park on Sunday afternoon, Helen Yung, co-founder of Arizona-based ice cream shop Sweet Republic, distributed free ice cream as part of a campaign to encourage community engagement in voting and volunteering.
Accompanied by her two young children, aged two and seven, Yung’s initiative reflects her personal commitment to ensuring that others have the same reproductive rights she did. Having conceived her children through in-vitro fertilization (IVF), Yung expressed her concern following a recent ruling by the Alabama State Supreme Court that classified embryos as children, raising alarms about the future of IVF access.
“I can’t imagine not having these two kids,” Yung stated, emphasizing that limited access to reproductive procedures could have drastically altered her life. “I don’t know if I could have done it,” she added.
Yung described the politicization of IVF as “horrifying,” critiquing the excessive interference in individuals’ medical choices. Although she generally refrains from merging politics with her business, Yung felt compelled to participate when the progressive advocacy organization MoveOn approached her a week prior to the event.
“I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of women who want to be mothers, facing all these difficult decisions,” Yung remarked. “A woman should have the right to choose what she does with her body.”
The event was part of MoveOn’s “Scoop the Vote” campaign, where attendees received complimentary scoops of ice cream to inspire them to engage in early voting and volunteer with Democratic campaigns. “My business and I both personally vote Democrat and support Kamala Harris, so we decided to go ahead with it,” Yung explained.
Throughout the event, over a hundred scoops of Sweet Republic’s signature flavors, including vanilla bean, brownie fudge swirl, blueberry-lemon custard, and coconut sorbet, were served from MoveOn’s patriotic-themed truck. Local candidates and party leaders, such as Democratic Maricopa County Recorder candidate Tim Stringham, Arizona Democrats Chair Yolanda Bejarano, and State House Representatives Oscar De Los Santos and Quantá Crews, urged attendees to participate in the upcoming elections.
Sweet Republic’s collaboration with MoveOn is part of a broader initiative to mobilize voters nationwide. MoveOn has partnered with ice cream makers across the country, reportedly distributing “a couple thousand” scoops since the campaign’s inception, according to spokesperson Britt Jacovich. “The energy has been incredibly exciting,” Jacovich noted, adding that enthusiasm for electing Democrats has been palpable at every event.
In addition to Phoenix, the “Scoop the Vote” tour has made stops in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, with plans to continue to states like Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina. While Sweet Republic maintained the original names of its flavors, other locations featured politically themed treats with names like “Unburdened By What Has Vanilla Bean,” “Fight for Your Right Sorbet,” “MoveOn Mobilizer Chocolate,” and “Inauguration Celebration Birthday Cake.”
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