Samira Rao Grows Cookie Girl Foundation to Support Children Who Can’t Go Home

Samira Rao, a longtime volunteer in Flint, delivers comfort packages and hope to kids living away from their families.

FLINT, Mich. — Samira Rao, known across Genesee County as “the Cookie Girl,” has spent more than a decade bringing comfort and joy to children living in residential homes and foster care. What began as a small idea in 2011 at Grand Blanc’s Cooks Elementary has grown into the Cookie Girl Foundation, a newly established 501(c)(3) charity focused on kids who cannot return home because of abuse, neglect, or other crises.

Rao said the inspiration came after seeing students rely on school for their only meals and realizing many never experienced small joys like baking cookies. “Wouldn’t it be nice if I just put a gingerbread outfit on and started something at the school?” she said. Her first event brought 20 students together to mix dough, cut shapes, bake cookies and decorate boxes by hand.

Click here to learn more and to donate to the Cookie Girl Foundation.

Since then, Rao has partnered with Voices for Children in Flint and Whaley Children’s Center, providing “comfort packages” that include blankets, stuffed animals, toiletries and donated items for children ages two through nineteen. She often delivers the gifts dressed as a gingerbread character or Frosty the Snowman, saying costumes help children open up. Rao recalled a two-year-old girl who had been abused and rarely spoke, but danced and hugged her during a holiday visit. “We’ve never seen her like this,” a staff member told her at the time.

Rao said no one in her organization takes a salary and that much of the work is supported by students at Detroit Country Day School, who help build the foundation’s website and assist with events. She recently received her first grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and is now seeking donated office and storage space to expand operations in Flint, Pontiac and Detroit.

The need, she said, is far greater than most people realize. While many children appear to have clothes and backpacks, their struggles are often hidden. “All you have to do is look in their eyes,” Rao said. “They may look like they don’t need a meal, but they do.” During last year’s holiday gift drive, one child’s primary request was fruit.

Rao said she is now asking for volunteers with skills in social media, grant writing and community outreach. The foundation accepts both new and gently used donations, prioritizing practical comfort items for children living away from their families. “I feel that somebody needs to be a voice for them,” she said.

Rao hopes the Cookie Girl Foundation continues to grow and bring joy to children who often feel forgotten. She said she also plans to expand the organization’s reach across Michigan. “I’d love to have these little satellites where we can expose the Cookie Girl to other areas,” she said. “My home base is Flint, but I’d like to keep growing.”