Washingtonians brought their kids to Share Our Strength’s cookie decorating event for No Kid Hungry.
By Erica Moody
Share Our Strength held its second annual “Cookies & Custard” holiday event last Saturday to benefit the No Kid Hungry initiative. One of the most anticipated kid-friendly events of the season, the daytime function was held at the nonprofit’s 15th Street headquarters and drew an impressive crowd, despite the rain.
Guests enjoyed holiday cookie decorating, arts and crafts, and children’s activities to learn more about No Kid Hungry, a campaign to connect kids with the healthy food they need every day. Before attending, guests were sent a guide and video to help broach the subject of childhood hunger with their own kids.
Event host Shari Yost Gold told us she became inspired when her kids were around three or four and she began to wonder, “How do you start to teach your kids empathy?” Because of the educational elements to this annual event and No Kid Hungry, Yost said “My kids are learning to be more empathetic little people.”
No Kid Hungry “conversation starters” were placed on each cookie-decorating table, notecards that encouraged families to discuss questions such as “Why do you think it’s important to eat enough healthy food?” and “What does our family do to make the world a better place?”
The office’s kitchen was made to resemble a Shake Shack stand, serving up grilled cheese sandwiches and seasonal custards in delicious Christmas Cookie and Candy Cane flavors. Beverages included milk cartons for the younger set, and passed mimosas for the rest of us. Cookies were generously donated by Corner Bakery; other sponsors included Williams-Sonoma, Le Creuset, and Otis Spunkmeyer.
The event has been so successful, it is expanding to other cities. This weekend, New York’s Hill Country Barbeque will be hosting “Cookies & Cue” on Saturday, December 13. Yost Gold hopes to expand to more cities across the U.S. in the near future.