By Michelle Kim
 

A Goffstown first-grader made a whole lot of dough to raise some money for charity this holiday season.

Alex McCarthy, 6, with the help of his family, made and sold more than 100 rolls of cookie dough, raising $233 for Habitat for Humanity.

When Alex, a student in Mrs. Nicholson’s class at Maple View Elementary School, heard that there were people in the world who had no homes and no toys, he was astounded, said his mother, Dian McCarthy.

“I’m going to send money,” Alex told his mother.

“Where are you going to get it?” she asked.

 “I’m going to open a lemonade stand,” he said.

But the McCarthys live on a dead-end street, and by the time Dian got around to helping Alex with the stand it was already the end of October.

“There’s no market for lemonade in October,” said Dian, with a laugh.

So instead, they decided to make cookie dough. “It’s realistic, and he likes to bake,” she said.

Originally, the intent was for Alex to talk to people about the project and why he wanted to raise money, said Dian. She  sent out an e-mail to friends and family members to fill in the details that can get left out of a first-grader’s explanation of things, such as price – $5 a roll for peanut butter, chocolate chip or sugar. But as the orders for cookie dough started coming in, she realized it was going to be a much bigger project than they had originally thought.

“Honestly, it’s taken on a life of its own,” said Dian. “People keep grabbing me, telling me that they want this many batches.”

So far, the McCarthys have received orders for more than 80 rolls of cookie dough, and they’ve gone through 50 pounds of flour, 14 dozen eggs, 50 pounds of sugar and 50 pounds of butter, not to mention baking soda, vanilla, parchment paper and other supplies.

After subtracting the cost of supplies, Dian estimates they made about $2.50 per roll for a total of $233.

When the McCarthys assembled Saturday morning to tackle the last of the ordered batches, it was definitely a family effort. Alex and his younger brother Andrew, 4, took turns adding ingredients to the mixer and monitoring quality control by taste testing while their father, Joe, wrapped the dough in parchment paper, Labrador puppy Jeffrey provided floor cleanup, and Dian kept the whole operation moving. She said they had been pacing themselves over weeks so that the boys didn’t burn out.

“I don’t want it to become a major burden to him,” said Dian, “until he’s says ‘Oh, I don’t want to ever do this again.’ The idea is to encourage his philanthropy.”

She said she doesn’t know if he’ll be able to fully understand what they’ve accomplished until they sit down and write the check for Habitat. She hopes they’ll send a letter back to him.

“I can’t believe the goodwill this has generated,” she said of the experience. “It’s been amazing how happy people have been to have cookie dough in their fridge.”