Sacramento businessman John Marcotte is marshalled a group of volunteer cookie deliverers in his living room before they went out to deliver cookies to low wage workers at fast food restaurants, cafes and other businesses.

Marcotte started the Cookie Project as a charitable side venture a couple of years ago after noticing more fast food chains opening Christmas Day. He says he uses the project as a teaching moment for his children.

 “I have two litte girls. What I get out of it is that for them Christmas Day has become about giving to other people rather than just opening their presents and getting things,” says Marcotte. “You know, in a very simple way we’ve recaptured a little bit of the meaning of Christmas.”

The first Cookie Project started two Christmases ago. Then it was just Marcotte and a few family and friends delivering about 600 cookies. This year, he says, it’s grown by leaps and bounds. About a half dozen teams of volunteers spent their time and money spreading out across the Sacramento area delivering about three thousand baked goods to people toiling away on Christmas.  

Marcotte says it’s grown way beyond Sacramento with the help of on-line viral promotion. Cities like San Diego, Portland, Oregon now have something similar. It’s even gone abroad with communities in Australia forming brigades of cookie deliverers.