Last Tuesday and Wednesday I spent my time in the student center basement at Houghton College in Houghton, New York, selling baked goods at the 26th Annual Houghton Arts & Crafts Fair. This year the college expanded to two floors of vendors, and I was determined to sell as many treats as possible to raise money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer began when a mother, motivated by her young son’s battle with pediatric cancer, decided to turn her fear and pain into action. The organization raises funds for research into childhood cancers, which deserve far more attention and resources. Important facts about pediatric cancer include:
- Cancer kills more children each year than any other disease — more than asthma, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and AIDS combined.
- About 46 children are diagnosed with cancer each day, totaling nearly 13,000 new cases annually.
- Thanks to medical advances, roughly four out of five children diagnosed with cancer today can be cured.
- Despite progress and the unique needs of children, funding for pediatric cancers makes up less than 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s total budget for cancer research.
All statistics sourced from CookiesforKidsCancer.org.
The chance to take part in the fair came on short notice, so I didn’t have much time to gather donations from friends and family. Still, I saw a great opportunity through my partnership with The Glad Products Company: they would donate up to $1.00 for every cookie or treat I sold, up to $100,000. While I couldn’t possibly bake that many cookies, I ramped up production in my kitchen.
I made a giant batch of Chex mix (three boxes of cereal, a bag of pretzels, a mega-box of Goldfish crackers, three-quarters of a pound of butter and more), a quadruple batch of salted caramel corn, and several jars of instant vanilla chai mix. I took everything to the fair on Tuesday hoping to sell out before the six o’clock closing so I could bake more for day two.
To my surprise, I was cleaned out by two in the afternoon. The response was encouraging, so the boys and I went home to prepare an even bigger offering for Wednesday. I made 48 Hot Chocolates on a Stick, four different batches of homemade marshmallows (bourbon vanilla, coffee, orange vanilla and mint), another large pan of Chex mix and four batches of kettle corn — two classic and two sweet-and-spicy chipotle.
I bagged everything early Wednesday, put myself together as best I could and returned to the fair at ten in the morning, hoping the crowd would be just as generous. They were. By two o’clock I was sold out again.
The generosity at Houghton was remarkable. One student approached, listened as I explained the cause, then quietly put cash into the donation jar. She looked up and said, “I am cancer. I survived.” I thanked her through tears.
By the end of the two-day event I had sold 250 items. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.
You can help from home without baking a thing. Exchange a virtual cookie through the Glad Cookie Exchange and Glad will donate up to $1.00 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for every virtual cookie sold or exchanged during the campaign period. It’s a simple way to contribute: click, exchange, give — and help support pediatric cancer research and families affected by the disease.
Below are the items I offered at the bake sale, along with other great ideas for holiday cookie exchanges, gifts and bake sales. All of these recipes travel well and make lovely presents.
Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Sweet and Spicy Chipotle Kettle Corn
Salted Caramel Corn
More cookie and gift ideas that make great holiday treats or bake sale items:
Ada and Anna’s Maple Sandwich Cookies (Maple Whoopie Pies)
Homemade Twix Cookies
Amish Cookies
Almond Joy or Mounds Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
If someone prefers savory snacks, try this:
Rosemary Garlic Almonds
I partnered with The Glad Products Company through DailyBuzz to promote Glad food storage products and was compensated for my involvement. My opinions are my own, and I was not paid to write positive comments. Thank you, Glad!