By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The community room at St. Paul Lutheran Church in New Rochester was abustle one Wednesday in November as the women’s group prepared for their annual Cookie Walk Bazaar.
Patti Snyder and Mary Ann Bockbrader were filling mason jars with dry ingredients for cookie jar and soup jar gifts “to give to your neighbor, mailman, newspaper person,” explained Gloria Castillo, who is the force who proposed the cookie walk idea so long ago.
Eloise Reitzel, the most senior of the group at 96, Sue Donaldson and Marlene Evans were cutting fabric to top the cookie jars that will be sold during the group’s holiday fundraiser.
Karen Brueggemeier, Sandy Brennan and Pat Timmons were in the kitchen stirring pots of traditional, old-fashioned Christmas candy that was resurrected this year from a recipe previously made for the event by Brueggemeier’s mother.
Pastor Melanie Haack was on hand to support the group that is called “small but mighty” because of their dedication to organizing and hosting this huge event that ultimately benefits the community.
The annual fundraiser was started nearly 30 years ago as a simple cookie sale but has grown into much more.
They still do the cookie walk, where customers grab a container and walk around the entire room collecting an assortment of cookies to fill the containers.
However, over the years, the members expanded the offerings, first adding a luncheon of soups, sandwiches and pies, then including a silent auction of various baskets and goodies to bid on during the event, and later a Christmas market, featuring handmade holiday décor, gifts and art created by the group’s creative and talented women.
“We like to do things that we make that you’re not going to go to a big box store and pick up. Everything is unique and made by our group,” Castillo said about the handmade goods for the Christmas market.
This year’s Cookie Walk Bazaar is Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church, 14545 New Rochester Road, Pemberville.
Instead of charging an admission fee, funds are raised through the sale of all the food and goods sold during the event.
“Usually, all of the cookies and food are gone in the three hours of the event,” Castillo said.
“Community members come and support the event because they know the funds go back to the community,” Haack said about the local impact from the fundraiser.
“It’s pretty amazing to see the amount of work these women do,” she said. “It’s a lot of work for them, but they raise a lot of money that goes back to the local community.”
Money raised from the event is donated to school lunch programs at Eastwood and Elmwood schools, local food pantries and other needs that crop up throughout the year in the community.
“We distribute funds throughout the year as we learn of needs in the community,” said member Joan Simon. “We are very proud of being able to respond to needs in the local community.”
Thrivent Financial provided seed money to get the group started for the event, allowing them to purchase supplies for the event.
Community is a common theme in the historic church that was built in 1921, according to Haack. “The congregation deeply values their history and heritage,” she said.
We’ve got some Lutheran projects too that are probably Beyond the donations to the local community organization, the women’s group also spends much of the winter months making quilts to give to people and organizations, including the annual Lutheran Relief Work collection in October.
Marlene Evans, Gloria Castillo, (back, l-r) Sandy Brennan, Karen Brueggemeier, Patti Snyder, Dolores Oestreich, and Joan Simon.
The women’s group organizes the day when area Lutheran churches drop off goods that will then be provided for Lutheran Relief Work. This year, with the help of the University of Findlay’s wrestling team, they loaded nearly 60 boxes of items for schools, babies, and health to go to the charity that is similar to the Red Cross. LRW provides support domestically and globally when people have been displaced by floods or disasters, or are suffering from famine
“Isn’t it amazing what just a few women can do?” Simon said ,summing up the group’s accomplishments.
