The Clinton County Chamber of Commerce once again hosted its Cookies for a Cause fundraiser yesterday morning to benefit the Home for the Night Shelter, and within three hours of the doors opening, around 30 dozen cookies had been sold.
– Photo courtesy of Baker Barb Gerald
The Cookies for a Cause Fundraiser led by Baker Barb Gerald of the Chamber featured toffee cookies alongside Gerald’s famous chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles for the community to purchase to support local organizations during a dedicated month. The fundraiser was launched in September 2022 with grand success, raising thousands of dollars for different community organizations every month, and this month, the fundraiser was relaunched for Home for the Night after the organization announced its struggles to keep its doors open during the winter months.
Community members are able to purchase a half-dozen cookies for $5, but many patrons that visit the Chamber during the Cookies for a Cause fundraising days purchase multiple bags of cookies, while others may place larger donations in the jar designated for the non-profit of the month.
Gerald expressed in an interview in Feb. 2023 during a Cookies for a Cause fundraiser benefiting The Crossing School, where she baked 64-dozen cookies, which led to a donation of over $1,100 during the month, that the fundraiser is a means to give back to the community that supports the Chamber and has supported her for many years in Clinton County.
“When people can’t reach deep into their own pockets to give hundreds of dollars, they certainly can reach in and give $5 or $10 for cookies if they know that money is going to a not-for-profit,” Gerald said. “We have individuals that will come in and drop a hundred-dollar bill or even two hundred-dollar bills and they’ll get half that in cookies, maybe even less, and sometimes none at all. They just come in to donate money.”
As the fundraiser was beginning in 2022, Brande Seibert, Director of Operations at the Chamber, stated that Gerald’s idea to combine her love of baking with her and the Chamber’s love for non-profit communities was an outstanding idea.
“We think it’s great, and we’re always trying to think of what the Chamber can do to provide and donate money into our community because we have so many business owners that donate gift cards, raffles and sponsorships for certain things,” Seibert said. “Not-for-profits are close to our heart because that’s what we are.”
The next Cookies for a Cause fundraiser will be held on Thursday, Feb. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Iron Block at 62 N. Main St. in Frankfort. Community members are encouraged to visit the Chamber early to ensure cookies are available due to the outstanding community response to the fundraiser and Gerald’s sweet treats. The fundraiser on Feb. 1 will benefit Home for the Night.