What if you could help the others by having friends over to decorate cookies—or by just cracking open a bottle of wine? Turns out you can! Here’s how:
Drop In & Decorate cookies for Mothers’ Day, May 1 – 10
If you’re even a semi-regular reader here, you’ve probably seen the colorful Drop In & Decorate logo in the sidebar. And in case you’ve ever wondered what it is, I’ll let founder Lydia Walshin tell you: “Drop In & Decorate is a simple concept: bake some cookies, invite friends or family [or neighbors, or co-workers] to stop in and help decorate, then donate your cookies to a local food pantry, emergency shelter, senior center, lunch program, or other community agency serving neighbors in need. [Or, sell your cookies at a bake sale, and donate the proceeds to a community agency.]”
Drop In & Decorate, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Rhode Island, hosts Drop In & Decorate cookies-for-donation events and provides financial and technical support to events hosted by individuals and organizations around the country.
Mothers’ Day event. They’re organizing a Coast-to-Coast Mothers’ Day Celebration, May 1-10. Lydia says they currently have a baker’s dozen of parties signed on for the event, but she’d love to have more. She’s particularly hoping to find someone to host a party in the Chicago area—there’s already an organization here that could put the cookies to good use. If you’d like to host your own Drop In & Decorate event—for the Mothers’ Day Celebration or any time of the year—visit the Drop In & Decorate website for more information.
Drink some wine on Arbor Day, plant a tree
What a difference a tree makes. According to treesaregood.org, they alter our environment, moderating climate, improving air quality, conserving water and harboring wildlife. Their leaves absorb carbon dioxide and other air pollutants—such as ozone, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide—and give off oxygen.
California winemaker Tangley Oaks puts a dollar amount to all this goodness: “Over a 50-year lifetime, one tree will generate $31,250 worth of oxygen, provide $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycle $37,500 worth of water and control $31,250 worth of soil erosion.”
And now, they’re putting their money where their mouth is—well, where our mouths are. Tangley Oaks will donate a percentage of its profits for the next year to planting thousands of trees through the Arbor Day Foundation. And on Arbor Day, April 24, Tangley Oaks will donate one tree for every bottle or glass of wine sold. They’ll also host complimentary wine tastings around the country where up to 2,500 saplings will be given free to participants to plant on their own.
“The trees that Tangley Oaks is planting will make a wonderful impact in the world,” said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation. “By planting and distributing trees around the country, Tangley Oaks is helping to create a healthier planet. Trees clean the air, clean waterways, provide habitat for wildlife and provide shade for everyone to enjoy.”
And enjoyment is what Tangley Oaks is all about. Their wines, crafted from grapes grown in Napa Valley and Santa Barbara, are aimed at wine drinkers looking to trade up to “luxury wines” and are approachably priced from around $14 to $20.
So open a bottle of Tangley Oaks wine on Arbor Day and do some good. Just don’t do so much good that you start quoting that awful Joyce Kilmer poem.
Terry, thanks so much for helping to spread the word about our cookies-for-donation program. We have a wonderful agency in Chicago that serves families with children — a perfect match for anyone who’d like to decorate cookies with their kids. Hope to find a Chicago cookie lover to bake, decorate and donate!
I love this post. Cookies and wine and doing good. Oh my. I’ve been watching them plant new trees here in Brooklyn as part of our city’s major commitment to green up this place. All I can say is…l’ll drink to that!
Rnnie Ann
Glad to do it, Lydia. Your organization performs such a great service that I just wanted everyone to know. Well, everyone in this case meaning Blue Kitchen readers.
Ronnie Ann—So a tree really does grow in Brooklyn. All these years, I thought that was just hype. Kidding, my friend—I know your beloved Brooklyn is blessed with many trees.