When Sister Jean Thuerauf invited neighborhood kids into her kitchen to help them with schoolwork and to bake cookies, she had no idea she was starting a legacy that would end up helping thousands of young people in the Twin Cities. When more and more children started showing up, she began running out of space in her kitchen.
Fortunately, with help from her North Minneapolis community, she was able to continue and expand her mission by founding Cookie Cart, a 501(c)(3) organization, in 1988. Cookie Cart teaches life, leadership, and employment skills to young people of color through on-the-job and classroom experiences in nonprofit bakeries.
Today, there are two Cookie Cart bakeries – the original one in Minneapolis, and another in St. Paul, which has allowed Cookie Cart to widen its reach. Three times a year, kids aged 14 to 17 apply for the 30 openings in the spring, 30 in the fall, and 60 in the summer.
“We pride ourselves on being the first job that these young people have,” says its executive director, Cynthia J. Fraction, who joined the organization last year. “We train them on workplace essentials, customer service and everything else they need to know to be successful in this business.”
The training is a two-part process, she explains. “They're learning in the classroom and then they go into the bakery for experiential learning. The people teaching them are what we call our cart captains and our advanced leaders, and most of them, if not all of them, are young people who’ve already gone through the training and have been there for a while.”
To prepare participants for even higher levels of success, the organization also provides two certification classes – a National Career Readiness Certification and ServSafe Food Handler Certification.
For Cynthia, being involved with Cookie Cart fits right in with her own personal mission of helping and educating young people who are seeking opportunities to grow. She actually came across Sister Jean while working for the University of St. Thomas.
“At first, I wasn’t sure why she was speaking as part of Black History Month, but then she began talking about this bakery and how kids came to her home to bake cookies,” she says. “Years later, when I saw an opportunity to work with Cookie Cart, I just couldn't pass it up. I love it. It's meaningful work and energizing every day.”
As part of her own legacy, Cynthia is looking to expand Cookie Cart. “My goal is to open a center for entrepreneurship,” she says. “We need to be able to create opportunities for communities of color to realize their ideas and their dreams of starting a business, and then being able to sustain it.” There are also plans in the works to open up enrollment for those aged 18 to 24. “I want to grow Cookie Cart as best as I can so that Sister Jean's vision can be fully realized.”
As a nonprofit, Cookie Cart relies on the support of its neighbors to continue its mission, just like it did 35 years ago. “Our biggest support is through donations and grants, which we always need,” says Cynthia. “We also rely on volunteers.”
There are many different ways people can volunteer, depending on their own strengths and backgrounds. “It can be anything from teaching financial literacy to coming in and simply building boxes in the bakery and working with our young people,” she says.
Another way to support Cookie Cart is by attending its fundraisers. Its largest one is the 15th Annual Chef's Dinner, which will take place on Saturday, November 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Union Depot in Saint Paul. Curated by renowned chef and restaurant consultant Pat Weber, this year promises an entirely new experience that is sure to be enjoyed by all who attend.
“I’m also launching an Executive Director Donor Appreciation Tour so people can see what's going on and celebrate with our young people,” says Cynthia. “We’ll invite people to come to both of our bakeries and be a part of our movement.”
Supporting Cookie Cart, she says, allows communities, businesses, and individuals to be a part of its mission. “It’s helping to continue to create vibrant, self-sustaining communities in places that need it the most.”
Of course, buying its delicious products is another fun way to help. Cookies make a great gift, especially these cookies, which include Hershey’s S’mores, classic and vegan chocolate chip, ginger snap, snickerdoodle and so many more. If people can’t make it to one of the bakeries, they can just order online for delivery across the country.
“I don't think Sister Jean knew that she was starting a cutting edge business, so to be here in this space for me is big,” says Cynthia. “The sisters she knew are still there [Sister Jean passed away in 2016] and are dedicated to this community and working to improve it. That's what she built this business on - helping young people not just sell cookies, but first and foremost to give them an education. That's how we got to where we are.”
To learn more and support its mission, go to CookieCart.org.