The holidays are fast approaching and I wanted to share a cookie "exchange" idea we used at our church last year.
Our angel tree provides gifts and food care packages for needy families in our community. (names are provided by the Red Cross and other similar agencies). Christmas care packages require home-made cookies, in my opinion.
A few weeks before your delivery date
On the day you plan to pack the cookies
Last year, we prepared 17 care packages, received 50 dozen cookies which equal about 82,800 calories.
Source: Years of Angel Tree experience
By Diana from Prospect, KY
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What a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing it, I bet the cookies brought many smiles to needy families.
I'd LOVE to do something like that but around here not many places will except handmade items!!! I hate that cause my son who is in headstart I can even make stuff for his class it has to be store bought for his birthday or any holiday parties!!! I couldnt wait for him to get into school so I could bake things for his classes now I find out I still can't. It is nice that you live in a place where you can do something like that who wants store bought cookies when they can have handmade!
CraftyMommy is right. Homemade items are nice, but most charities and other organizations will not accept home-made goodies (including the Red Cross Angel Tree program). There are too many legal reasons for them to risk such donations. Cleanliness of the kitchen where items are prepared could cause a foodborne illness. Allergic reactions to ingredients in the recipes could sicken or even KILL someone. (Those with peanut allergies can become ill/die even from eating a cookie that shared a paper plate or cookie tin with an item that contained peanuts.) And as sad as it is to say, there are some sick individuals who would purposely taint foods to be consumed by others.
For donations for Red Cross and other agencies, include goodies that are store-bought in their original UNOPENED containers. I'd hate for agencies that are helping the less fortunate to have to stop accepting ALL food donations (or even worse, be sued) because of some unfortunate food borne illness or allergic reaction. Save those home-baked treats for family and neighbors! Otherwise, according to the rules released with our local Angel Tree adoption instructions, the agency will THROW AWAY any home-made cookies or treats before the packages are picked up by the Angel Tree families. I hate to say it but my guess is that all of those love-filled cookie tins are in a dumpster somewhere. Sorry...
Hi, Just deliver them to needy families that you know of through the church. Loretta
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