We’ve just had our first school fundraiser come home. I’m trying to wrap my head around it. It’s not a lamington drive, or a car wash, or a bake sale. It’s tubs of cookie dough. Not just little tubs, either, no. It’s 1.3kg tubs of cookie dough, in 8 different flavours, selling for the low cost of $16/tub. The dough is freezable AND re-freezable! You can thaw it out and it will last up to 4 weeks in your fridge, or you can re-freeze it. It makes over 50 large cookies or 100 snack sized cookies.
I’ve been trying to refrain from getting on my soapbox about this but I can’t help myself any more. I find it somewhat amusing and somewhat disgusting, that less than 2 months ago I was handed a bunch of paperwork that included a section on ensuring we are sending healthy lunch boxes to school for our kids. And here comes the first fundraiser – enough dough to make 100 cookies. I know it doesn’t have to all be made and eaten at once. But I wonder about the nutritional value of something that can be thawed out and last for up to 4 weeks. And as someone who has struggled with her weight for as long as she can remember, and is finally starting to win the war, I’m torn between having responsible food in my house, and helping the school raise money for more car parks. Maybe we can just make a donation, in lieu of cookies?
 So folks, parents, food-conscious lovelies, am I making a mountain out of a mole hill? Am I over reacting?
And while I’m at it, how many tubs would you like to buy?Â
Colours of Sunset 
Fund raisers are always difficult. I HATE asking people for money so we tended to send it back with a donation of $20-$30 and say thanks but we don’t know any people on the coast (we’d only just moved here) who don’t have children doing the same fund raising exercise. Personally I would prefer that they added $100-$150 to my school fees for the year and not have the fund raising events.
Sorry -but it doesn’t stop – you have another 12 years of it 😦
Enjoy Friday – even if it is ANOTHER wet and miserable day !
Me
I hate asking for money too. I think we’ve sold 6, so I’ll be happy with that. At least it’s something. That was 4 to family (incl us) and 2 friends who graciously bought a tub each through my posting it on FB!
I don’t usually make dough but how long does one usually last? 4 weeks in the frige sounds a little Frankenstein to me. And something that can be thawed and refrozen makes me think if it’s safe for consumption?
Anyway if I had to buy, I’d probably just buy one and bake, then send it off to family and friends instead of eating all at home :p unless the cookies are low-calories, healthy organic kind, does sound kinda ironic making sure the parents send healthy meals yet making them buy these.
We will just buy one tub and who knows what we’ll do with it. I too wonder about something that can be thawed and re-frozen, or that lasts up to 4 weeks in the fridge! I don’t even want to know what’s in it!
Give me five tubs – I love eating it raw! 🙂
Only 5? But there’s 8 flavours, how will you choose which 5!?
Oh I meant to say 5 of EACH, but not the mint – that flavour is just weird unless in toothpaste 😉 xx
I don’t think your over-reacting, I think it’s a double-standard and hypocritical. You can’t preach healthy-eating when it suits and then change your tack to raise a few bucks. I would mention that you’re not too impressed by the choice of fundraiser and just make a cash donation instead.
I thought about doing that, but would you believe I’ve already sold 6 tubs? Apparently there’s people out there who don’t balk at paying $16 for a tub of cookie dough that makes 100 cookies! :0
Our school has run this one too – and I agree! It’s like those endless chocolate bar boxes that do the rounds of sports clubs and kindys. I also think $16 is a lot to spend on cookies for an average family, especially when you often feel obliged to make a contribution if it’s a fundraiser. Of course, I have not personally volunteered to be on the fundraising committee, so I suppose I can’t complain until I’m willing to organise an alternative!
he he, I said the same thing – I have no sensible alternative! And I’m sure this one is probably a successful fundraiser for them that’s why they’ve chosen it. There’s 800 kids at school, so if every kid sold 1 tub they’d get $3200 and I’m sure it will probably average out to be more like 2-3 tubs a kid.
I completely understand where you are coming from!
Glad I’m not alone! was worried I was the only one!
That’s pretty shocking really. Not encouraging healthy eating at all, and it’s not like a box of chocolates where you can sell them one by one. Unless you make the hundred Cookies, sell them for a dollar each, and keep the profit 😉
I like your thinking Jess! But geezus, I don’t think I’ve ever baked 100 cookies total in my life time, let alone from one TUB! I’ll make the 50 large cookies, divide them up into 10 packs of 5 and give them away!
Yeah, seems a bit contradictory. I was shocked getting on a plane recently and they bought out the kid’s meal. You wouldn’t believe the crap that was on that tray. It made me realise that we still have such a long way to come, culturally. xx
We haven’t had to do kids meals on a plane yet, what was on it?! Do I even want to know…
You don’t! Crap crap and crap. Chips, sweet lollies, white pasta with white sauce, “fruit” juice (ie sugar), a cake for dessert, and the only fruit/vegetable was about three peas in with the pasta. I wish I had ordered an adult meal for her; they were much healthier!
My eldest has yet to start school but I’m sure this will come our way eventually. I don’t think you are being hypocritical. It’s a challenge to live ethically sometimes.
Surprisingly I’ve already sold 6 tubs. I think that is good enough!
Nope. You make a very valid point! I don’t think there’s enough nutrition education for our actual educators.
It’s appalling that this is the fundraiser. Surely, they could’ve chosen other alternatives??!
I’m sure there’d be alternatives, but no idea what they are. I guess healthy stuff just doesn’t draw the same kind of attention/money as a giant tub of cookie dough does!
We did the Billy G cookie dough at kindy – it was really yummy – I think we only made one batch of cookies and the rest hubby and kids ate like ice-cream (I wondered why it kept getting less and less). But that was a couple of years ago before I was concerned about additives and preservatives…I woudln’t be so keen now.
It’s always hard with fundraisers though.
We love their ginger biscuits dough. Yummy 🙂
I’m the P&F coordinator at our school and have already had people this year asking if we can run the cookie dough or chocolate box fundraisers.
The frustrating thing is the healthy / eco friendly fundraisers simple do not raise as much money as the cookie dough / chocolate ones do.
Last year we did special lunch days every term, the sushi lunch day tanked, yet the pie day and Bakers Delight day were raging successes. 😦