A couple years ago I came across this really excellent site called Drop In & Decorate, by the blogger Lydia Walshin of Perfect Pantry. The site is a resource for a very simple idea: get a group of family/friends together to decorate cookies, then donate them to a locale charity. A fun concept for people of any age with a the bonus of doing something nice for your local community (also good to ensure you don’t pig out on the end product, though I will say from experience there is a good chance you will eat your fair share during the decorating process).
Since its inception the idea has really taken off, collectively donating to 55 non profits in 18 US states (and Canada). It’s become so popular that Lydia was able to incorporate Drop In & Decorate as tax-exempt non-profit last year. I organized my own Drop In & Decorate event a couple years back and can humbly say it’s inspired a few to do the same.
My sister is definitely the artist of the family. Photography, painting, charcoal, you name it. Even her cake decorating puts puts me to shame. Stefani recently started her first semester at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and was inspired (if I do say so myself) to organize her own Drop In & Decorate event. Of course being surrounded by a group of like-minded artists you’re sure to get some amazing art. In the end these artists decorated approximately 180 cookies for the Inner Voice homeless shelter. Pretty awesome.
Drop In & Decorate is a fun event that anyone can do, culinary prodigy or not, that does a little something for the local community. Interested in hosting your own? Check out the site or contact Lydia via e-mail. Right now she has some free supplies and coupons to offer future organizers.