For Twin Cities teens, Cookie Cart offers more than just sweet treats and a paycheck
Your sweet tooth tends to kick into overdrive this time of year. One local shop is helping you fill that craving while offering local youth more than just a job opportunity.
If you're looking to satisfy your sweet tooth this holiday season, you're not alone.
"December, November (are) when we get our most online orders coming through," said Stephon Rendo, bakery assistant at Cookie Cart in Minneapolis.
The orders are stacking up, dozen after dozen.
Rendo started working at Cookie Cart as a teenager.
"I just worked my way up, honestly," he said.
In fact, the bakery is full of teenagers. This nonprofit provides leadership and employment training to the kids, many of whom are working a job for the first time.
"The biggest thing is providing them with a safe space where they can come and feel like they are supported," program manager Tarik Thornton said. "There's all sorts of things you can do here, but you find your space. You can be an individual who is totally shy, but when you come in the bakery, you find that one thing you love to do, and through that one thing, you are empowered to do so much more."
As Rendo frosts the smiling face of cookie after cookie, he's reminded that the bakery does more than spread holiday cheer.
"It's always been about the workers," Rendo said. "I always came back every time because of who was in the bakery."
To learn more about Cookie Cart, click here.