Cookies for a cause: Dress for Success Pittsburgh to host drive-thru fundraiser
These cookies were available at a Dress For Success event.
Courtesy of Adventurous Life Photography
The Dress for Success van sits outside of Heinz Field.
Courtesy of Adventurous Life Photography
These clothes and shoes were available from Dress for Success.
By Kate Gross
What human being born and bred in Southwestern Pennsylvania doesn’t love a good cookie table?
With so many canceled weddings and celebrations this past year, opportunities to showcase a terrific local tradition have been slim to none.
Luckily, the local chapter of the global organization, Dress for Success, is hosting their annual fundraiser, the Black and Gold Cookie Table Drive-Thru, next month.
The event, usually an indoor gala, has been modified to fit safety guidelines.
Instead of ballgowns, break out your best Pittsburgh gear because this event will take place outdoors, picnic-style.
Cars will follow a scenic route through Hartwood Acres, on which they’ll learn all about the DFS organization and the many ways in which they create positive change within the local, national and global communities. At the end of the route, attendees can sit on their new picnic blanket and enjoy some cookies in the sunshine.
The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 16.
Following a scenic meadows route, every vehicle will receive a box of two dozen cookies from The Little Kitchen, a local business owned by Corapolis-based baker Jennifer Patterson.
Guests will also receive a Pittsburgh-themed swag bag, entry into the Black and Golden Mega Raffle Ticket prize package and a picnic blanket.
Tickets are available for purchase at pittsburgh.dressforsuccess.org and must be obtained before the event.
Annie Kaucic, a DFS volunteer and owner of local marketing company AEK Marketing Solutions, said that the funds raised from this event would support mobile services and programming for women entering and returning to the workforce this year.
“The funds from this event will help to continue provide no contact services to our recipients in the community, including bus/mobile services and financial support for things that aren’t typically donated. There’s been an increase in the number of women entering medical fields during the pandemic, so things like scrubs have really been in demand,” Kaucic said.
According to The Center for American Progress, a national policy institute, women have lost a net of 5.4 million jobs during the pandemic-induced recession compared with 4.4 million lost by men. In the wake of this crisis, Dress for Success Pittsburgh – which has multiple locations in Allegheny, Greene, Butler, Fayette and Washington counties – has moved quickly to address and adapt to this shift.
The organization works with over 150 other organizations around the city, including rehab centers, women’s shelters and job service centers, that refer their clients to DFS for professional interview outfits. Once hired, women are encouraged to come back for a starter wardrobe that they can wear in the first few months of their job until they begin to generate income. According to Kaucic, “what DFS does is empower women to be economically independent and get back on their feet. It’s about women supporting other women.”
But the impact of the organization goes beyond clothing.
Dress for Success offers job development tools such as resume workshops and a new Virtual Connections Resource Center at dfspghvirtual.org. This provides a network of resources to empower women in their holistic development, including local job boards, professional styling guides, physical, mental, and emotional health resources, and other helpful tools created to support women during this time.
Admission to The Dress for Success Cookie Table Drive-Thru will be $100 per vehicle. Participants will receive one box of two dozen cookies prepared by local woman-owned/operated business, The little Kitchen. Those attending will also take home a picnic blanket, a swag bag donated by MSA, and one entry into The Black & Golden Mega Raffle Ticket prize package, which has an estimated value of $2,000.
Tickets must be purchased by April 30 to guarantee a cookie box and swag bag.