Cookie Cart: Giving At-Risk Teens the Tools to Succeed Since 1988

Article by Claudia Kittock, photos by Rick Kittock

Remember what it was like to be in high school?  Remember everyone asking you ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’ and you had no idea? Remember wondering if there was a place for you in the world, and, if there was, what would it be? How were you going to make your dreams come true?

One woman, Sister Jean Thuerauf, working in North Minneapolis in the 1980s, realized that teens needed a safe and engaging place to spend their time. The streets offered crime, violence and gang involvement, but it was clear that these teens needed something different, something special. Sister Jean began by inviting the community’s teenagers into her kitchen for help with schoolwork and to learn to bake cookies. It didn’t take long for her kitchen to be crowded with more teenagers than there was room!

In 1988, Sister Jean’s vision for a safe, secure, creative and engaging space for North Minneapolis’ youth was formalized and registered as Cookie Cart, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The first storefront was started on Emerson Avenue, and then in 1996 Cookie Cart settled into its current location on West Broadway Avenue.

Matt Halley, Executive Director of Cookie Cart, invited my husband, Rick, and I to come for a visit, urging us to come after school because that’s when ‘all the action happens’. When we walked in the doors we were engulfed in teenage energy and vitality.  There were teens everywhere.  Rick immediately broke away to start talking with kids and taking pictures, as I approached a couple of young women behind the counter.

Every teen we spoke with talked about what they liked best, about how this program was helping them grow. Ali, a member of the youth staff, said, “Cookie Cart has taught me to be a responsible young man because I get the chance to step up and be responsible for myself and other.” Mary told me that she was really good at rolling out the cookies, but still working on her frosting skills.

Cookie Cart is a multi-faceted program that provides education and experiences in many different areas. Obviously, there is experiential learning that involves hands-on job training.  The teens are taught the fundamentals of job readiness, equipping every teen with skills in responsibility, collaboration, and initiative.  In 2015, 193 teens mastered the basic job skills in the bakery.

After learning the skills in the bakery, the teen employees move on to classroom learning that centers on interpersonal communication. Teens who complete this training are then eligible to begin practicing these new skills at Cookie Cart’s front counter as well as at local promotional events. In 2015, 102 teens completed customer service training and practiced these skills at 184 community events, workplace visits, and post-secondary education tours.

The overall goal of the education at Cookie Cart is to equip the employees with enough skills to help them transition to the next stage in their education and lives. The 360 Program teaches resume and cover letter writing, job search tools, and interviewing skills.  In 2015, 68 teens completed this part of the program, and as a result 93% reported feeling comfortable talking to potential employers, and 97% were able to present themselves as experienced employees.

“I’d probably be on the street, because there is a lot of that in the neighborhood. But Cookie Cart took me away from that, and it pushed me away from the streets.  Because why would you want to be on the streets when you could have a job and save money?”

Cookie Cart also offers 3 areas of credential learning.  They have developed a hands-on curriculum for financial literacy, which includes budgeting and saving, checking accounts and personal credit.  In 2015, 84 teens completed financial literacy training.

Cookie Cart is also proud to offer teens the chance to take the National Career Readiness Certification (NCRC) exam. The test measures skills employers have identified as essential to job success, including applied math, reading for information, and locating information. In 2015, 34 teens earned NCRC certification.

The final area of credential learning is the ServSafe Food Handler Program. This certification shows prospective employers in the restaurant industry that youth staff have received food safety training in areas of personal hygiene, allergens, time and temperature control, cross-contamination, and cleaning and sanitation.  In 2015, 19 teens earned ServSafe Food Handler Certification.

When I asked Executive Director, Matt Halley, what people can do to support this amazing enterprise, he gave me many ideas, including:

1. The most important is to visit Cookie Cart at 1119 West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. To see it is to understand it, and to taste the cookies is to fall in love with this project!
2. Buy cookies! We tried some and can report how delicious they are! Eating cookies will help. It’s a difficult assignment, but do it!
3. Use Cookie Cart cookies for corporate events and/or gifting to friends, family, and clients! They specialize in providing their delicious cookies to large events.
4. Donations are always welcome.  Cookie Cart is a 501©3, making donations tax deductible.

Damarean, a Cookie Cart alumni, said, “I’d probably be on the street, because there is a lot of that in the neighborhood. But Cookie Cart took me away from that, and it pushed me away from the streets.  Because why would you want to be on the streets when you could have a job and save money?”  Why indeed!!

Claudia can be reached at claudia@millcitymedia.org