“The Cookie People”; Peterborough Family Deliver Holiday Cheer Through Thousands of Homemade Cookies

Local family the Hurlingtons spread kindness and cheer through holiday baking, delivering 3,000 cookies in their Tudor Crescent neighbourhood.

They moved to Peterborough 17 years ago and became known as ‘The Cookie People,’ distributing the baked goods as a way to get acquainted with their neighbours in the Beavermead Park area.

Six different cookies were baked for the occasion, such as pumpkin spice shortbread, coconut washboard, wholesome jam thumbprints, mango apricot oatmeal, cocoa butter cookie and chocolate crinkle.

The homemade treats were delivered in 200 hand-decorated boxes.

“We bought plain white boxes in bulk and each took some time to decorate them. My little brother Yzedro especially loved drawing unique designs on the boxes,” said Alvea Hurlington, the eldest child of the family. “I’m recently engaged so this might be the last year we're all together over the Christmas break making cookies so it was a little bittersweet but lots of fun.”

Alvea says that new faces and long-time neighbours always enjoy the cookie delivery, which has been a family tradition since moving to the community.

“They've (neighbours) seen our family grow and they've watched each of us grow up. We're so grateful for the friendship and good energy that they bring to our community,” she said. “Every year we deliver to some new neighbours for the very first time. They always look at us a little funny when the group of us show up at the door and hand them a free box of cookies but they are always excited to see us back the next year!”

Alvea says the tradition brings her family together as they listen to music and dance around the house while baking. Photo courtesy of Alvea Hurlington.

Last year in the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hurlington’s put together flyers, offering various services for their neighbours who were isolating such as picking up groceries, mail, emergency childcare or even a friendly phone call free of charge.

“We want to inspire people in every community to do something kind for their neighbours. Whether it's cookies, cupcakes, bread, a painted rock or just a friendly hello, every little act of kindness or service allows us to be a blessing to each other and make our City a better place to live,” said Alvea.

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Local Family Spreads Kindness to Those in Need

A family in Peterborough is spreading viral kindness in their neighbourhood by offering assistance to those self isolating due to COVID-19.

The Hurlington family. According to Alvea, the most cookies they have ever made and delivered in one day is 8,000. Photo Courtesy of Alvea Hurlington.

The Hurlingtons are known in their neighbourhood as “The Cookie People” after years of distributing homemade cookies to their neighbours in the Marsdale Drive area near Beavermead Park during Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Alvea Hurlington, the oldest sibling, says that ever since the family moved to Peterborough 16 years ago, they have made an effort to get to know their neighbours and delivering cookies has helped them do that.

When COVID hit in March 2020, the Hurlingtons felt that they needed to do something.

The family quickly put together a flyer letting their neighbours know that if they needed help picking up groceries or urgent supplies, temporary childcare or even just a friendly phone call, they would do their best to make that happen.

Alvea Hurlington says the #ViralKindness project was spearheaded by her father. Photo Courtesy of Alvea Hurlington.

Since distributing the flyers, the family has received a few phone calls from seniors living nearby needing assistance and even calls from people that do not need help but who are thanking them for their kindness.

Baking cookies and offering grocery deliveries are not the only things the Hurlingtons do says Alvea.

“We do lots of stuff in the community,“ she explains. “Every Saturday morning through our church organization, Mom and I deliver packages of crafts to young children.”

On Friday evenings the Hurlingtons prepare food for families that are in need of an extra meal.

“Everything we do we do it as a crew,” Hurlington said.

Nobody is more or less deserving of support, she explains. The Hurlingtons hope that through their viral kindness movement they are able to build their community and make some friends while they do so.

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Well-Known Peterborough Family Creates Fundraiser for Hospice Peterborough

In honour of the late Jan Paris, the local family who founded and owns Paris Marine in Lakefield has pledged to match donations to the Hospice monthly giving program until the end of February.

At age 73, Jan was a healthy and vibrant Peterborough woman who enjoyed volunteering, painting, taking trips with her husband to their second home in Florida and spending as much time as she could with her beloved grandchildren.

After getting an all-clear from a physical in July 2019, however, she’d learn by the end of the year that she had a rare form of leukemia. The Paris family say they relied on Hospice Peterborough services throughout Jan’s illness and when it was time to grieve.

The Paris family: Jan and Bill Paris with daughters Tracey, Deborah and Julie. (photo courtesy Hospice Peterborough)

“I don’t know how we would’ve gotten through this without Hospice Peterborough,” says Bill Paris, her husband of more than 50 years. “It’s the kind of organization that you don’t know much about until the time comes that you need them.”

To honour Jan’s memory, her family has initiated the “For the Love of Jan” fundraiser for Hospice Peterborough and has pledged to match all donations made to the monthly giving program, up to $10,000, until the end of February. To date, more than $6,000 has been received.

Jan and Bill Paris created more than 50 years’ worth of memories together. (photo courtesy Hospice Peterborough)

All donations to “For the Love of Jan” will be directed to programs that support children and teens, an area for which Hospice Peterborough receives no government funding.

The groups support youth in our community who have experienced the death of someone close to them and—often through arts-based activities—help them manage their feelings and behaviours. Through the pandemic, Hospice continues to offer these services virtually either one-on-one or in small groups.

Jan Paris with her granddaughter Kensington. (photo courtesy Hospice Peterborough)

Hospice Peterborough executive director Hajni Hős thanks the Paris family for sharing their deeply personal story and for giving back to the community in memory of a loved one.

“It is fitting to direct these funds to children and teen groups in honour of a cherished mother and grandmother who devoted herself to her family,” Hős says. “When children in our community can better manage their grief, we all win.”

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12-Year-Old Ontario Boy's Touching Moment With Hockey Stick Caught On Tape

Earlier this week, Victoria Heaney posted a short clip to Twitter of her 12-year-old brother Matthew's incredibly touching moment with the hockey stick left at the family's front door to honour the victims of the Humboldt tragedy.

The Whitby, Ontario boy returned home from school on Wednesday (April 11th), and the moment (23 seconds you'll never forget) was captured by the family's video doorbell...

My family left a hockey stick on our porch for the humboldt broncos, and our ring doorbell caught this video of my little brother looking at the stick when he came home from school. Watch until the end, heartbreaking. #humboldtstrong pic.twitter.com/6I9Zu6gF9V

— Victoria (@v_heaney16) April 12, 2018

Matthew's mother Jennifer tweeted out how proud she was of her boy...

I’m a proud momma after seeing this❤️ https://t.co/myMdiwOTE4

— Jennifer Heaney (@Jenn_heaney) April 12, 2018

The tweet—and moment—has gone viral, with over 27,000 retweets.

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An Incredible Act Of Kindness To Out Of Town Visitors At Riverview Park & Zoo

A family visiting the Peterborough Riverview Park & Zoo from Toronto wanted to take the zoo train. But the zoo doesn't have an ATM machine yet—they do have plans to get one next summer when their new Guest Services and Education Centre building is complete—and the family had no cash. The kids were really disappointed they wouldn't get to take the train. Then this happened that the woman, Jewels, posted to the zoo's Facebook page...

[via Riverview Zoo Facebook page]

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