About Us
About Us
Our Mission, Vision, and Values
Cookie Cart teaches life, leadership, and employment skills to young people through on-the-job and classroom experiences in nonprofit bakeries.
We envision equitable communities where Cookie Cart alumni thrive and lead.
The potential of every young person
We believe in the innate strength of and possibilities for every young person we engage. We lift up their talents and support their future as tomorrow’s leaders.
Equity and opportunity
We advocate for a world that is just and fair, where all people have opportunity and a strong sense of value and belonging. We believe our presence and the benefits youth gain in our program are essential contributors to equitable communities. We support sustained action to dismantle systemic racism.
The power of relationships
We believe trusting relationships make it possible for youth to prosper and for communities to be places of connection and support. We seek to be a trustworthy employer and neighborhood partner.
Compassionate accountability
We seek excellence in all we do, holding ourselves accountable with compassion and care. We treat mistakes and questions as opportunities for learning and growth.
It’s More than Just a Cookie… It’s a First Job Experience.
The Cookie Cart mission thrives with your generous investments to impact communities like ours. We teach life, leadership, and employment skills to young adults in under-represented communities.
Cookie Cart is the Twin Cities’ leader in youth social enterprise. Our bakeries are classrooms, where hundreds of teens learn and build real world skills that prepare them for successful futures. We combine paid work experience with workshops to promote career and leadership development for youth. And we do all this while operating two commercial bakeries that make incredible cookies made with real, quality ingredients!
Our History
The idea was simple. Sister Jean Thuerauf invited neighborhood youth into her kitchen for help with schoolwork and to bake cookies. It didn’t take long for there to be more young people than there was room in her kitchen!
In 1988, with help from the community, Sister Jean’s vision for a creative and engaging space for North Minneapolis’ youth was registered as Cookie Cart, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
What began as a cart rolling up and down the streets of North Minneapolis, has grown into a neighborhood bakery on West Broadway in North Minneapolis. Along the way, Sister Jean’s vision and legacy has remained our guide: to use cookies as a tool to provide hundreds of neighborhood teens with the job experience and leadership skills they need to have successful futures.
Our Staff
Full of cookie lovers and community voices that are passionate about youth development and workplace accountability, our staff team has all the perfect ingredients to cook up some incredibly impactful work in North Minneapolis.
Meet Our Board
Willie Harbert
Board Chair
Vice President Motors Business Unit
Danfoss
Megan Fritz
Secretary
Director of Field Sales
General Mills, Inc.
Dan Kinsella
Board Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer (Retired)
SportsEngine
Kojo Baafi
Vice President Internal Audit, VP Enterprise Risk and Compliance
Scott Anderson
Director of Community Lending & Development
Land Bank Twin Cities
Jolynn Fielder
Vice President – Concept Support Services
American Dairy Queen Corporation
Chris Farley
Founder
Northern Brewer
Tom Goettl
President
Konik
Sharon Grice
Director of Admissions and Operations
Cornell College
Jesse Horowitz
Technology Director
Wells Fargo
Emily Koski
Sr. Vice President | Chief of Staff, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
U.S. Bank
Kimberly Voigt
Business & People Solutions Manager
Land O’Lakes
Jennifer Willner
President
JW Regulatory Consulting LLC
Jessica Berns
Associate Attorney
Faegre Drinker