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More than 50 local holiday bakers are going to throw down. Kokomo Urban Outreach (KUO) will present the Battle of the Christmas Cookies on Fri., Dec. 8, but this is one fight everyone wins.
The results of the cooking competition, open to bakers of all ages, will be available for sale – and eating! -- at Northside Village Church, 2419 N. Locke St., from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. But the actual battle takes place tonight.
“We have more than 50 entries, but we are still taking more,” said Deanna Ancil, KUO administrative support. “People can still enter. The cookies for just have to be to us by 5 p.m. on Dec. 7, because judging will be at 6 p.m.”
Each competitor must submit 3½ dozen cookies for the event, with most of the treats available for sale on Dec. 8. The entry fee is $10, and multiple entries may be made by the same baker. The cookies need to be delivered to Kokomo Urban Outreach’s 1701 E. Locke St. headquarters. Winning entries stand to win prizes and bragging rights.
Those who attend the event on Friday will have the opportunity to purchase cookies. Proceeds from the battle will benefit the hundreds of children participating in KUO UP and MiniUP programs.
“That's our whole focus,” said Ancil. All the money that we raise just goes totally for the kids. It stocks our store. It provides meals for the kids before they go out to work. It helps pay the kids. People make donations when we go to work, but that doesn't always cover everything.
“And it helps us to allow for growth. There are always new kids coming every week. We can have as many as 10-13 new kids a week just show up from nowhere. We don't ever turn them away, and we don't want to get to that point.”
KUO’s UP Program started in November 2016 as ManUP, a program for young men ages 10-18. A girls’ program, StepUP, was added a few months later. MiniUP, for children ages 3-9, began in September 2018. Following COVID, the ManUP and StepUP programs were combined. The programs teach children to live by the “Four Rs”: I am Respectful, I am Responsible, I am Reliable, and I am Ready.
The UP programs teach life skills and work ethic, allowing the kids to work in the community and earn points which can be used to purchase items, like snacks, clothing, and toiletries, from the program’s in-house store.
The program is so popular that KUO doesn’t have to recruit.
“It's just word of mouth from the kids,” said Ancil. “We have a lot of parents who their kid’s teacher called and told them to look into this program. They're constantly calling and asking what KUO and UP are all about.”
It is not too late to volunteer to help with the Battle of the Christmas Cookies, and there is still time to compete. There are volunteer opportunities today from 5:30-8 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Call 765-457-1983 for more information.