Cookie Crawl looks to bring merrier Christmas to local homeless shelter

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GREENFIELD — Jessica Green remembers standing in line at a soup kitchen. She remembers her father, a single parent, saving for months for a Nintendo only to have those Christmas dreams dashed by a home invasion and robbery. She remembers when the doorbell rang.

“It was the police,” she said with a catch in her voice, “and they had gifts for us.”

Green, 30, has a soft spot for organizations who give assistance to the homeless. And when the idea to sponsor a Christmas Cookie Crawl came up, Green knew she had found an event to give back to a community that had once helped her.

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The Christmas Cookie Crawl runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, starting at Eddie Lawrence men’s shop, 19 W. North St.

“Crawlers” can participate for free or pre-register for $10 at lucycoutureboutique.com to receive a limited edition cookie collector tin, a map of cookie crawl stops and a raffle ticket. The map leads crawlers to participating businesses through downtown Greenfield where local merchants will offer gourmet cookies, treats or baked goods to sample. Additional raffle tickets are earned for stops along the way and for purchases made at each business.

At the end of the afternoon, crawlers — stuffed with goodies and done with their shopping — can finish off the cookie crawl by returning to Eddie Lawrence with completed maps and purchase receipts, which they can show for more raffle tickets to win prizes donated by participating businesses. Winners will be notified after the event.

As the owners of Lucy Couture and Eddie Lawrence, Green and her husband, Justin, designate a percentage of their business profits each month to donate to charity. Frequent recipients of these funds have been the Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen and the Youth Opportunity Center in Muncie, one of the state’s largest facilities servicing homeless children, including those from Hancock County.

The couple recently cleaned out their home and took unwanted items to Greenfield’s Hope House, a homeless shelter in Hancock County. In a discussion with facility director Andrea Mallory, it became clear to the Greens that Hope House could use some help. The Greens decided to create the cookie crawl as a fundraiser for the Hope House.

“I feel like as a business owner in this community, it’s our job to give back,” Green said. “This community gives so much to me and my family by shopping with us that it’s our job to give back in whatever way we can.”

For a first-time event, Green is pleased with the level of interest in the cookie crawl. She reports approximately 22 businesses have signed on with a $20 registration fee and a door prize donation for the raffle. And more registrations are coming in. The Greens offered the second floor of Eddie Lawrence to businesses who wanted to take part, but who didn’t have a downtown presence. All of those spots have been filled, Green reports, and more than 100 tickets have been sold to prospective cookie crawlers.

On the second floor of Eddie Lawrence — where Firehouse Studios is located — Hope House will be offering complimentary gift wrapping for a free will donation, and Santa will be on hand for photos opportunities.

Green looks forward to introducing visitors to new and unique businesses in downtown Greenfield.

“What better way to give back and put people in the Christmas spirit?” Green said.

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Christmas Cookie Crawl

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday

Starts at Eddie Lawrence men’s wear, 19 W. North St.

register to participate for free or $10 donation at lucycoutureboutique.com

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