Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Please bring back sign stolen from Ryan’s Cookie Box
Fundraiser deeply hurt by cruel theft
POLICE are investigating the theft of an honesty box sign owned by a young baker with special needs.
Ryan’s Bogue’s cookie box notice was taken overnight, leaving the Crossgar, Co Down, fundraiser deeply upset.
Now Ryan, whose baked treats bring in about £900 a month for charity, and his family are hoping it will be returned undamaged.
Most of the funds raised by the 23-yearold and his cookie catering collective are donated to Marie Curie and Medicines Sans Frontiers.
A PSNI spokesman said: “Whilst no official complaint has been made to us yet, we thought we would share this.
“Ryan and his family provide a great service to the local community and this mindless act has caused a huge amount of upset and distress.
“If anybody has any information of the whereabouts of the stolen sign please contact Ryan’s Cookie Box or police.”
A spokesperson for Ryan said: “So there’s always one. Thanks to the thieves who have stolen the Cookie Box sign. You have caused Ryan a lot of upset and hurt.
“Ryan’s Cookie Box is an honesty box at the top of our driveway, selling homemade cookies and bakes.
“It is managed by a young man called Ryan, who just happens to have Down’s Syndrome.
“He is ably supported by the Cookie Box Team – his assistant baker, his assistant baker’s husband, Smelly big brother David, big sister gym bunny Nicki, big sister writer in residence Laura and elder statesman Grampa.
“We bake most days according to work and family commitments and make whatever takes our fancy – although Friday is always scone morning.
“Everything is bagged up in dinky little packets and we charge a minimum of £1 a packet.
“This just about covers the actual cost of making and packaging – although chocolatey things actually cost more – so we rely on people’s generosity to make a profit.
“It has to be said that our cookie minions are more than generous and at the moment we make a profit generally in excess of £900 per month.
“All of this goes to charity – the main ones we support are Marie Curie and Medicines Sans Frontiers but we mix it up a little too.
“The Cookie Box itself is a little on the quirky side and we revamp it every few weeks and our Facebook page records all the details of where your hard-earned cash goes.”
FOR RYAN’S COOKIE BOX