“Sweet Treats So Others Can Eat” was the theme to the very first Great Brownie Bake-Off sponsored by the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs held on Monday, Feb. 27, in the Sykes Student Union lobby. The bake sale event raised $250 that will be split between Chester County Cares and Salvation Army food banks, which feed the community weekly.
“This was our first event, but it was so popular we will do it again,” said Maggie Tripp, Director of the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs.
There were 28 brownie entries between the two categories of all chocolate and miscellaneous (including nuts and marshmallows). The winners of the Great Brownie Bake-Off were awarded $25 to Java City, compliments of Aramark. The chocolate winner was Tara Lenton, a student here at WCU, and the miscellaneous winner was Stephanie Paulachok, a WCU employee, for her Andes Mint chocolate brownies. The honorable mention went to RD Melissa Rowley for her cream cheese brownies.
The brownies were judged at noon on Monday in Sykes Ballroom A. The panel of judges included Jennifer Rossi from the Career Development Center, student Sara Marks, Miss WCU 2006 Sierra Barnes, Ray Stevenson from Public Safety, Professional and Secondary Education Dr. Paul Morgan, and Baker Bob of Aramark.
Chester County Cares, one of the local food banks that benefited from this event, is located at the Community Services Council of Chester County on East Union Street and serves “as a county food distribution center for neighborhood clients and county food cupboards,” as stated on their official Web site, chestercountycares.org. The Cares Food Cupboard, which currently serves about 275 households each month.