Cookies are the New Currency to Help Spread Hope this Holiday Season

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The hottest item to give and exchange this holiday season is cookies. That's because each cookie sent, sold or exchanged means more funds donated by The GLAD Products Company to Cookies for Kids' Cancer for pediatric cancer research.   So whether it's sharing edible or virtual cookies, anyone can make a difference, one cookie at a time.

It's easy to get involved and help GLAD® meet its goal of exchanging one million cookies in November and December. Transform holiday baking activities into a Cookies for Kids' Cancer™ Bake Sale or charitable Cookie Exchange by registering an event and sharing how many cookies were sold or exchanged at www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.  No time to bake?  No problem.  Add some holiday cheer to friends' Facebook walls by exchanging a virtual cookie at www.Facebook.com/Glad.  GLAD® will donate $.10 for each cookie sold, exchanged or given until December 31, 2011, up to $100,000.

Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children in the United States, yet approximately half of the drugs used to treat children with cancer are at least 20 years old.(1)  Cookies for Kids' Cancer™ inspires individuals, communities and businesses to join in the fight against pediatric cancer by raising funds and awareness through bake sales.  Since 2009, GLAD® has been a partner of the cause through its Glad to Give™ campaign, inspiring thousands of bake sales and helping the nonprofit raise more than one million dollars for pediatric cancer research.

"Glad is inspired by the amazing work Cookies for Kids' Cancer does everyday to help put an end to pediatric cancer by getting people involved at a grassroots level doing what they love most -- baking," said Glad Brand Manager Bob Hillman.  "We're excited to be extending the ways people can help this year through our virtual cookie exchange on Facebook, a great way to get more people involved and raise awareness about this important issue."

The New York Cookie Exchange

To help spread the word that cookies are the new currency to give back, GLAD® is ringing in the holiday season by hosting a "New York Cookie Exchange" in New York City on November 29.  Together with new mom Ivanka Trump, GLAD® will encourage consumers to bake, decorate and exchange cookies to help the effort.  "As a new mom, I'm drawn to help a cause that was started by two parents – Gretchen and Larry Witt – who wanted to do everything they could to help their son Liam who battled pediatric cancer, and every other kid battling this terrible disease. They took a horrible situation and decided to make a difference by helping others, and that's what the holiday season is all about."

"We want to make supporting pediatric cancer research easy and something anyone  can do anywhere, and this holiday program with GLAD® is doing exactly that," said Gretchen Witt, founder of Cookies for Kids' Cancer™. "Pediatric cancer preys on the most innocent -- children.  And it's up to us to get involved because what happens to one child is something that impacts all.  We can, and we are making a difference, one bake sale at a time."

The GLAD Products Company

The GLAD Products Company is wholly owned subsidiary of The Clorox Company. The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer products with 8,100 employees and fiscal year 2011 revenues of $5.2 billion. Clorox markets some of consumers' most trusted and recognized brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products, Green Works® naturally derived home care products, Pine-Sol® cleaners, Poett® home care products, Fresh Step® cat litter, Kingsford® charcoal, Hidden Valley® and K C Masterpiece® dressings and sauces, Brita® water-filtration products, Glad® bags, wraps and containers, and Burt's Bees® natural personal care products. Nearly 90 percent of Clorox Company brands hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories. The company's products are manufactured in more than two dozen countries and sold in more than 100 countries. Clorox is committed to making a positive difference in the communities where its employees work and live. Founded in 1980, The Clorox Company Foundation has awarded cash grants totaling more than $84 million to nonprofit organizations, schools and colleges. In fiscal year 2011 alone, the foundation awarded $4 million in cash grants, and Clorox made product donations valued at $13 million. For more information about Clorox, visit www.TheCloroxCompany.com.

Cookies for Kids' Cancer

Cookies for Kids' Cancer™ was founded by a mom inspired by her son's ongoing fight against cancer. Today pediatric cancer is the number one disease killer of children in the United States, due in large part to a lack of funding for research into new and improved therapies. Through the concept of local bake sales, Cookies for Kids' Cancer™ inspires individuals, organizations, and businesses to join in the fight against pediatric cancer by raising funds and awareness necessary to change the face of pediatric cancer and provide more families with the hope they deserve. For more information, visit http://www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.

(1) "Making Better Drugs for Children with Cancer" Institute of Medicine, http://www.iom.edu/CMS/28312/4935/26453.aspx, 18 Apr. 2005.

SOURCE The GLAD Products Company; Cookies for Kids’ Cancer