Hi Folks:

I’ve mentioned Drop In & Decorate®, the cookies-for-donation event founded by Lydia of The Perfect Pantry, many times before and it’s time for me to mention it again. 

It’s so exciting for me to know that this fun and worthwhile event continues to spread across the 50 states and Canada and it’s about to start again for the holiday season.  

Here is what Lydia writes about Drop In & Decorate®:

We’re based in Rhode Island.  This will be the 8th year of cookies-for-donation in my kitchen.  We are year-round, not just at the holidays.  But holidays are a great time to get people together.

I’m not a baker – in fact, I’m baking-challenged!  So, really, anyone can do this.

There’s a free guide with everything you need to know to host your own party, download on our web side (www.dropinanddecorate.org)

Before the end of this year, the 10,000th cookie will be decorated and donated.  Where???

December 4 is National Cookie Day.

Cookies make people smile, and bring a bit of happiness to people in difficult circumstances.

If you’re interested in this cookie donation and would like to participate, here’s how:

… and have fun in the process.

Wonderful Lydia of The Perfect Pantry,  founder of Drop In & Decorate® is asking for our help to participate in the latest Drop In & Decorate® holiday event.

Drop In & Decorate® is a fun event where you and your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers (everyone/anyone) get together and decorate cookies (like a cookie-decorating party) then you donate the cookies to places serving people in difficult circumstances during the holiday season — like an emergency shelter, local food pantry, senior center.

Lydia has organized a Coast-to-Coast Drop In & Decorate® Mothers Day Celebration, which will take place from May 1-10, 2009.  Her goal is to donate 1,000 cookies to agencies across the country.

For example, Lydia is hosting her own decorating party and will donate the cookies to  Lucy’s Hearth, SSTARbirth, and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

She writes that "You, too, can honor moms everywhere by hosting (or helping to organize) your own cookie decorating party, with your friends, family, co-workers or faith group. We’ll write about all of the Mothers Day events (and link to your blog) on our site."

The Drop In & Decorate® organization will also give a prize to the host who donates the most cookies.  The prize package includes  free coupons for organic ready-to-bake cookie dough from Immaculate Baking Co.

If you’d like to participate in this Cookies-for-Donation event, contact Lydia:

Lydia AT dropinanddecorate DOT org

She’ll send you more info on how to host your own cookies-for-donation event.  In the meantime, she’s passed along some responses to Frequently Asked Questions.  

Thanks for your help!

Paz

Ed. Note:  Fourteen different Mother’s Day events have started already.  You can read about it here.

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Mothers Day Coast-to-Coast Drop In & Decorate® Cookies for Donation

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I take part in the Coast-to-Coast Drop In & Decorate® event?

It’s easy — your party can be big, or just you and your kids, or a couple of friends. Pick a date between May 1-10. Bake cookies ahead of time (or ask people to bring baked cookies). Invite a few friends over to decorate, or invite your entire neighborhood to join in. Then wrap your cookies, and deliver to a local agency or shelter.

Where do I donate the cookies?

To your local food pantry, Ronald McDonald House, senior center, homeless shelter, or domestic abuse shelter. For Mother’s Day, why not look for an agency serving women and children? If you don’t know of an agency to take your cookies, we’ll help you find a recipient.

Is there a prize for whoever donates the most cookies to their agency?

Yes! Besides the warm feelings that come from giving a gift of kindness, Drop In & Decorate has a special prize pack for the host whose event donates the most cookies to their designated agency: A reuseable canvas shopping bag, three large cookie cutters, and 5 coupons for free ready-to-bake organic cookie dough from Immaculate Baking Co. — enough to bake 120 cookies! Just let us know that you’re planning an event; then, send us the name of your recipient agency, the number of decorated cookies you donated, and photos to share on our site at www.dropinanddecorate.org. 

How much does a party cost?

If you already have the ingredients for your favorite type of sugar cookie in your pantry, the party is absolutely free! If you’d like to purchase supplies similar to those used at the flagship event, download our "host your own cookie decorating party" brochure for supplies and sources. 

Can I use your logo for my event?

Yes! Send me an email, and I’ll send you a JPG.

Lydia of The Perfect Pantry  is also the founder of Drop In & Decorate, a special cookie event.  I mentioned Drop In & Decorate last year.  It started out as a holiday event and has grown bigger.   It’s a fun time where you bake cookies and then invite your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers (everyone/anyone) to help decorate the cookies.  It’s like a cookie-decorating party.  Next, you donate the cookies (to places like a shelter or food pantry, etc…).  This is not only a fun event in which to participate, it’s also worthwhile.

Check out Lydia’s site, Drop In & Decorate.  You’ll find cookie recipes, photos, tips on how to host a cookie-decorating party, where to donate your cookies and more.

Flat Stanley in the subway station.  I think riding the subway was his favorite thing to do.

New York, New York —
It’s a helluva of a town,
The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down.
The People ride in a hole in the ground.
New York, New York —
It’s a helluva of a town.

Lyrics by Betty Comden & Adolph Green

Leonard Bernstein’s musical, On the Town

Fellow blogger, Kelly of Ms. ABC Mom is a school teacher.  Her students are participating in interesting and fun event that involves a book character called Flat Stanley.

Flat Stanley is a normal boy who, one day, wakes up flat as a pancake (a bulletin board fell on him).  He becomes four feet tall, a foot wide and half and inch thick.  Flat Stanley takes advantage of this predicament and is able to do a lot of things no one else can do. He can slip in between things and go places easily.  For example, he can slide under a closed door or narrow metal grating.  Instead of worrying about paying expensive airfare to travel, he can fold himself and fit into an envelope, and put in the mail.  Flat Stanley has several adventures.

The students in Kelly’s class made Flat Stanleys and sent them out to people all over the United States and world.  The person who receives Flat Stanley is asked to take him around and then send him back to the class with a report (and photos if possible) about the places he’s visited.

As Flat Stanley’s host, I had lots of fun showing him around town.  So easy to travel with, he slipped into my book and we took the subway.   I think he liked riding the subway best.  He didn’t want to get out of the subway car and go upstairs.  He wanted to keep riding the train. 

The photos here shows a few places that Flat Stanley visited.   This was fun.

On another note, a few weeks ago, I posted an annoucement about Lydia’s Drop In and Decorate event.  Many people have participated.  Lydia had a record number of people (85!) stop by her kitchen to decorate cookies, which were sent out to two food pantries and six shelters for domestic abuse victims.  Wow! Looks like it was a lot of fun and many people are going to be happy reaping the benefits of all the volunteers efforts.  Go have a look at some of the cookies they decorated here.  Great job Lydia and all!  It’s not too late to participate.  You can read about how to get involved here.

Paz

 In front of the legendary Apollo theater in Harlem.  The place that discovered several celebrity performers.

In front of Grant’s tomb, where the 18th president of the United States is buried.

In front of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest Gothic style cathedral in the world.

Look here!