BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WPRI) — Ben St. Pierre was 4 years old when he first started selling lemonade.

Now 17, the Burrillville High School senior is setting up shop in his driveway one last time.

St. Pierre tells 12 News he will never forget the day his mom first surprised him with his beloved lemonade stand.

“My mother first brought the lemonade stand home from a yard sale,” St. Pierre recalled. “I could barely peek over the top [of it].”

St. Pierre said he first began selling lemonade at his grandparents’ house in Woonsocket. He raised $75 for the Woonsocket Cat Sanctuary that year.

The teenager eventually moved the stand from his grandparents’ house to his childhood home on Maureen Circle. St. Pierre said over the last decade, he’s raised approximately $27,000 for the Burrillville Animal Shelter.

Burrillville Animal Control Officer Kerry Courtemanche tells 12 News she’s beyond grateful for St. Pierre’s generosity.

“It’s great,” she said. “To have a youngster really want to work for his community … and to continue doing it through high school. He didn’t give up as he aged.”

But St. Pierre doesn’t just raise money for the shelter. He also volunteers there.

“I help out with the cats, I clean the cages,” St. Pierre said. “Sometimes I walk the dogs. It’s pretty fun.”

“I already help the animals out with [the lemonade stand], but I just like spending time with them and getting to help the shelter more,” he continued.

St. Pierre said hundreds of thirsty customers, mostly Burrillville residents, have stopped by his lemonade stand over the years.

“It’s great that they come by and support what I’m doing,” he said.

When asked what makes his lemonade so special, St. Pierre refused to say.

“It’s a secret and I can’t reveal it,” he said with a chuckle.

And it’s not just lemonade he sells.

St. Pierre also sells fresh baked cookies and has organized countless raffles with an assortment of prizes.

Last year, St. Pierre raised more than $7,000. He hopes to surpass that for his final year.

“We should blow that out of the water this year,” St. Pierre said. “To think that is has grown to be this big is amazing.”

St. Pierre said the money he raises is put toward the shelter’s veterinary expenses, which can add up quickly over time.

Anyone interested in visiting St. Pierre’s lemonade stand can do so on Aug. 12 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Those who can’t make it can donate online.