Cutest cookies in the county help raise funds for victims of domestic violence
As many of you who’ve been around Zingerman’s for a while will already know, the canine love of my life, Jelly Bean, passed away at the end of May 2015. At the time, the grief was overwhelming—the loss of 17 years of close connection hit me hard. When Jelly Bean died, we wanted to try to take the sadness and loss and turn it toward a positive legacy, something to honor the kind, caring contribution she made to my life, and to the lives of so many others over the years. The following fall, we started the Jelly Bean Jump Up as a fundraiser in her memory for SafeHouse Center. It’s a great cause—SafeHouse provides a safe haven for adults and children who are otherwise trapped in abusive home settings. The spirit of positivity, hope, and generosity that Jelly Bean demonstrated every day is also what SafeHouse is all about. And that’s how the Jelly Bean Jump Up got started.
This week marks the start of the eighth time we’ll be doing the Jump Up! As you would imagine, we got a bit sidetracked by the pandemic. In March of 2020, the special fundraising dinner at the Roadhouse featuring Alaska’s most famous fisherwoman, the marvelous Marie Rose from Shoreline Wild Salmon, took place the night before the earthquake of the pandemic shook our world the next day. (For much more on my/our experience of the pandemic, see “Working Through Hard Times.”) I’m happy to say we’re back up and running by helping to raise some money. Marie Rose will be coming back to do another fundraising dinner on Tuesday, March 14 (more on this soon) with her wild salmon at the Roadhouse.
Starting this week though, the very kind and extremely generous folks at the Bakehouse have agreed to make Corgi Cookies all month long to support the Jump Up! That’s right, super good, exceptionally tasty sugar cookies that are decorated to look like Jelly Bean! Handmade fondant on top of all-butter, real vanilla-and-a hint-of-citrus-zest sugar cookies. They have been pretty much immediately and universally hailed as “the cutest cookies in the county.” And, the Bakeshop is generously donating $1 from each cookie to the Jelly Bean Jump Up.
The need for SafeHouse Center’s services is, unfortunately, higher than ever—domestic violence increased dramatically during the years of the pandemic as added tensions, quarantines, and divisive politics led more Americans than ever to act violently against those they lived with.
The Jump Up has become a significant fundraiser to help SafeHouse Center support its own financial health. This means that victims of domestic violence in Washtenaw County can have confidence that the place they can always count on to provide shelter and support will stay financially sound. You can contribute to the Jelly Bean Jump Up cause at all the Zingerman’s businesses throughout February. And, also, all the Plum Markets (they have the Corgi Cookies too!) will be again generously participating in the Jelly Bean Jump Up from March 6 through March 12. You can make a donation directly on the SafeHouse Center website.
