The Beginning of A Good Thing: Just{BE}Cause

Nearly 1,000 homemade cookies + an afternoon of socializing with some new and old friends=the beginning of something really good.

Just{BE}Cause.

The vision? (Read more about the hatching of this idea.) Having fun and doing good.

Our initial idea was a cookie un-swap - a cookie swap with a twist, if you will. Instead of swapping cookies, we'd package them for the local Food Pantry as a mid-winter/pre-Valentine's Day treat.

Would people think we were crazy? Would they have fun and see this as a labor of love? Would they even come?

Well, we did it. And, they came armed with baskets of cookies and smiles -- and left eagerly planning months of projects to tackle.

Here's how it worked. We invited a small group of neighbors and friends to bring 50-60 cookies. We served up some yummy appetizers (my friend Amy who hosted the event at her B&B, the Benjamin Packard House, is a phenomenal cook...and made mini gourmet flatbread pizzas!) and beverages and packaged homemade cookies for a special treat for the local Food Pantry.

In the end, we packaged more than 70 bags of cookies. And, they look not only yummy, but special with the Whisker Graphics Divine Twine and Printables [if you are a regular follower, you know I'm addicted to their product!)] to give our packages a special look.

I know some of you are scoffing. Cookies? Who are you kidding? I {we} know we are not solving the painfully difficult problem of hungry families with cookies. But, maybe, just maybe, we are brightening a hard day? And, maybe, just maybe, we are fostering a tighter knit community. Maybe I'm crazy, but, I envision a place (which I'm lucky to have in my neighborhood) - like that of years gone by - where neighbors help neighbors in small ways - just{be}cause. Wouldn't that be a delightful switch from the overwhelming attitude of "what's in it for me" that sadly prevails in our world?

We are, we hope, in the process of inspiring this here - and, we'll keep you posted along the way in hopes that you'll start it in your neck of the woods, too.