ADDISON COUNTY — Recently eight local restaurants participated in an effort provide Christmas cookies to homeless shelters around the state.

Black Sheep Bistro, Park Squeeze, Fire and Ice, Vermont Cookie Love, Jessica’s at Swift House Inn, Two Brothers Tavern, Noonie’s Deli, and the Bobcat Café and Brewery all produced home-made cookies to distribute to the Charter House Coalition and the John Graham Shelter her in Addison County as well as to other shelters in Chittenden, Washington and Lamoille counties.

This is the fourth year the program has run in Vermont and it continues to grow. Organizers hope to expand throughout the state in the coming years.

Typically the drive collects homemade cookies from people in the community, but last year with COVID-19, the program asked restaurants to make homemade- style cookies in commercial kitchens, with great success.

There are two rules: One — cookies must be homemade in style. It’s not a food drive. The kids aren’t starving. Little kids in a shelter on Xmas don’t understand a lot, but they understand cookies – and if you’re having a homemade cookie you’re going to feel more like you’re in a home on the holiday; Two — no raisin cookies. The kids have been through enough without thinking they’re getting chocolate chips and finding out it’s raisins.

Participating restaurants generated enough cookies for hundreds of kids, at seven cookies per person.