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Cookie Contest Raises More Than $600 for County Food Bank
new slt cookie donation
Cookie Cash Great Bend Cookie Contest coordinator Jennifer Stoddard hands cash to Food Bank representative Evelyn Essmiller on Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 7). They were joined by (left to right) Jennie Gordy (Food Bank manager) and Food Bank representatives Donna Taggart and Bob Essmiller. Also included in the photo is Great Bend City community coordinator Christina Hayes (far right), the official vote counter for the contest during the past three years. - photo by COURTESY PHOTO

A record number of people participating in the Great Bend Cookie Contest resulted in $610 being donated to the Food Bank of Barton County last Wednesday.  

The Sixth Annual Great Bend Cookie Contest, held on Nov. 29, was sponsored by 17 local businesses, in conjunction with promotion of Small Business Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on that day, Rosewood Furniture Gallery supplied participants with decorative boxes, a list of cookie-contest businesses and a voting bracelet. More than 100 people gave a donation and took on the challenge of selecting the best cookie in Great Bend.

Kustom Floor Designs won the “Best Cookie” award for the third straight year. But Rosewood Furniture Gallery came within two votes of unseating the repeat champs, making it the closest competition ever.
 
As part of the festivities, participating businesses also donated prizes that went to Cookie Contest participants during a drawing, following holiday parade in downtown Great Bend.

Businesses participating in the Cookie Contest were Rosewood Furniture Gallery (Cookie Headquarters), Artisan Soaps, Bass-X Autosound and Accessories, Beautiful Beginnings Boutique, Brown’s Shoe Fit Co., Defy Expectation Clothing Company, Golden Belt Bicycle Co., Office Products Inc., Johnson’s Smokehouse BBQ, Kustom Floor Designs, Miss Pretty Pickles/Heart of Kansas Mercantile, P&S Security, Rana Luna Boutique, Renue Salon and Spa/ Yours Truly LLC, Rosewood Wine Cellar.

While the holiday giving season is over, January is traditionally the busiest month of the year for the Food Bank of Barton County, said Food Bank representative Bob Essmiller. The Food Bank serves more than 600 people monthly, who meet criteria for services.