HUNTINGDON, Pa. (WJAC) — Two Huntingdon County men are now known as the "Cookie Dads" after a friendly competition turned into a national movement.
Friends Scott McKenzie and Jeremy Uhrich of Huntingdon spend their free time baking cookies using a cup of kindness and a dash of devotion.
It all started last March when the pandemic caused Scott to be furloughed from his job, and he was looking for new hobbies.
"I grabbed the old red Betty Crocker cookbook and opened it up to the chocolate chip cookie page," said Scott.
He posted his first batch of cookies to Facebook when his friend Jeremy saw it.
"He said, 'Good looking cookies, I bet mine are better.' That was all it took. It was on like Donkey Kong after that point," said Scott.
So, Jeremy began the bake-off with his sons by his side.
The friends even left the final taste test up to the Mayor of Huntingdon, David Wessels (click here to watch the video).
The rest of the cookies were dropped off to local firefighters, officers, and dispatchers.
"We got home and realized that we probably felt as good about what we did as the people we dropped the cookies off to. We thought, 'Maybe we got something going on here,'" said Scott.
They did, and "Cookies for Caregivers" was born.
They started a Facebook Group, and over 2,000 community members from Huntingdon have already joined to help make the cookies.
"Within maybe half a week to a week, we had about 40 to 50 volunteers from our community who wanted to help out and wanted to bake," said Jeremy.
So far, they've delivered over 20,000 cookies to essential workers, garbage haulers, funeral homes, pizza shops, even dog spas in the area.
"Delivery day is the day we enjoy the most and get the most value out of," said Jeremy.
Like icing, the movement has spread across the United States with 60 different communities starting their own groups in Massachusetts, Texas, Colorado, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, and more.
"Cookies for Caregivers" is even getting national attention from The TODAY Show, Rachael Ray, PEOPLE Magazine, CNN, Taste of Home, and other outlets.
While the attention is just extra icing on the “cookie,” Scott and Jeremy say they bake to appreciate the workers of the pandemic.
"The look you get back from people when they recognize that they have been recognized is a powerful moment for both of us," said Scott.
They have no plans on slowing down, because they say there's no expiration date on kindness -- that's just the way their kindness cookies crumble.
"We're proud that we have done this for 43 straight weeks, and it hasn't died down. It's continued," Jeremy said.
Click here to join the Cookies for Caregivers Huntingdon group on Facebook.
ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7y6iamqRfl66ssYyonZ9lkprBuLHEp2ShrZ6ptq%2Bzw6ilZp6inrKvsNJmq66qnqh6qrrTqGSnmaSevK%2Bty2akqK6VorKvwIycpqijmZrAbrLOq2ScmaKatKrCxKuq