Cookies for Caregivers spreads kindness to essential workers

What began as a pleasant competitors between two Huntingdon males has advanced right into a motion of kindness powered by cookies, and that motion has now reached Centre County.

All through the COVID-19 pandemic, Cookies for Caregivers volunteers have delivered over 18,000 cookies to important employees throughout Pennsylvania, and now chapters are popping up nationwide.

Caley Glasgow of Bellefonte beforehand labored with Scott McKenzie — one of many authentic group’s founders — and needed to get entangled when she noticed him submit about his efforts on Fb. Each McKenzie and his good friend Jeremy Uhrich took up baking throughout the starting of the pandemic and finally determined to make use of their newfound abilities for a great trigger.

Glasgow created the Centre County chapter in February and it now has over 150 members.

“I feel the general mission of the group is simply to let folks know that we see them and we acknowledge the onerous work that they’re doing,” Glasgow stated.

With just a few different girls, Glasgow coordinates the weekly cookie deliveries for bakers. Members can fill out a Google Type indicating whether or not they wish to bake, recommend a supply location or each.

These excited by baking full one other kind to pick the week they’d prefer to contribute. A number of days earlier than the cookies are to be dropped off, the supply coordinator makes the baker conscious of any particular lodging wanted for the cookies, similar to avoiding nuts or different allergens.

The primary supply was to Mount Nittany Medical Heart and since then the group has delivered roughly 2,000 cookies to areas together with the Bellefonte Police Division, Juniper Village and Wynwood Home.

“We’ve tried to diversify the totally different locations we’ve got delivered to,” Glasgow stated. “The record is lengthy by way of who we wish to ship to and we’re simply attempting to slowly make our rounds.”

Jessica Roth of Centre Corridor likes to bake, so becoming a member of Cookies for Caregivers was a no brainer. She has made 24 dozen cookies since collaborating within the first supply on the hospital.

“I’ve form of baked loads throughout the quarantine time, so I assumed this was form of a cool approach to perhaps begin spreading out the energy to different folks,” Roth stated. “I’m fueling my baking behavior in addition to letting everyone know ‘hey, we care about you guys.’ ”

Nichole BellAntonio of Bellefonte has baked for the group for roughly one month. In that point, she’s made eight dozen cookies.

“I assumed it was an effective way to make what has been a extremely tough yr for everyone in a number of other ways a bit higher,” BellAntonio stated. “It’s a approach I assumed I might give again safely.”

BellAntonio has additionally been part of the supply course of, as soon as serving to to ship 20 dozen cookies.

“Simply having the ability to give a pleasant ‘thanks’ and a token of appreciation goes a great distance,” BellAntonio stated.

In just a few weeks, Cookies for Caregivers will accomplice with the Penn State Bakery to attempt to ship cookies to each submit workplace in Centre County, in addition to FedEx and UPS areas.

“Everyone knows that these people by no means get a break and so they have been overloaded over the previous yr by way of workload,” Glasgow stated. “There’s a number of actually good folks in Centre County that we’re attempting to get to.”

Cookies for Caregivers all the time welcomes extra bakers to volunteer for the trigger.

“I take pleasure in having the ability to earn a living from home and a number of these folks clearly don’t, and so they must exit and so they must put their lives on the road for the group,” Glasgow stated. “With out them, we wouldn’t have Centre County.”

To affix the group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/cfccentre.

Erin is the spring 2021 information intern for the Centre Day by day Occasions. She is a junior at Penn State finding out journalism and historical past.