People’s sweet tooths recently had a positive impact on food security for others, courtesy of the Dublin Community Center.

The organization hosted its cookie market Dec. 7 and donated all the proceeds from it to the Peterborough Food Pantry. This was the third year of the event at the DubHub, with funds steered to helping to feed others across the region. 

“The idea came from a Christmas cookie stroll a few years ago,” said Ruth Blaise Thompson, an organizer of the event. “In 2022, someone at a meeting said ‘Why don’t we do a popup cookie market?’”

That first year, there were about 15 people baking goods, Thompson said.

“Bakers bring their goods to the DubHub, and people meander the room, filling their plates - four cookies from this baker, two from that baker, and so on,” said Thompson.

Volunteers used an old-fashioned scale to weigh the plates that patrons had filled, charging $10 a pound for whatever people had piled on.

“We were so busy that first year, a visitor said ‘Could you use a hand?’ and she proceeded to volunteer right then and there,” Thompson said.

The first cookie market raised $355, and once done, from a discussion came the suggestion “We should just donate it to the food pantry.” Based in the Peterborough Community Center on Elm Street, the pantry serves people in Peterborough, Antrim, Bennington, Dublin, Francestown, Greenfield, Hancock, Jaffrey, New Ipswich, Rindge, Sharon and Temple.  The organization benefits “families and households, including seniors, veterans, the disabled, children and working families who find it difficult to make ends meet distributing the equivalent of 3,500 meals to qualified residents,” according to its website, pfoodpantry.org.

Teresa Imhoff of the food pantry organizes the bakers for the cookie market.

“Last year, there was a terrible snowstorm the day of the event,” said Thompson. “We were really worried about turnout, but they came in droves.”

Thompson added that what the DubHub does with the funds truly appeals to their patrons.

“People would hand us a $20 bill for a $10 or $15 plate and say ‘Keep the change,’” Thompson said. 

That year, they raised $664 for the food pantry, and this year the event pulled in $889.

“We’re up to about 30 bakers,” said Thompson, adding that awareness of the event is entirely via social media, notices on town websites and word of mouth. 

Thompson said winter seems an especially hard time for some people in terms of food insecurity, as weather can make traveling to shop difficult for some people. She shared one tale she learned about when delivering the funds to the food pantry this month 

“One woman came in to donate some food, explaining that there was a time when she couldn’t and when she needed the food pantry instead,” Thompson said. 

The cookie market occurs on the first Friday in December at the DubHub on Main Street in Dublin, and Thompson is already putting out the call for more bakers for next year. 

“We get cleaned out. Everything goes,” she said. “It’s a real community effort. People might not think ‘I’ll go to Peterborough and make a donation to the food pantry,’ but they'll buy cookies to support it.”