This year begins the transition from the "Cook of the Month" contest to the new "Do a Good Cooking Deed" contest. My first “Good Cooking Deed” story is from a freezer cook in New York who wrote asking for help in freezer cooking for families of sick kids at their local Ronald McDonald house. She had no way of knowing that she had chosen a cause close to my heart. 13 years ago my brother and sister-in-law spent several months at the Ron Mac house in Seattle while my 1-year old niece was being treated for cancer. In lieu of the $25, I sent Janet some free books for her cooking group. Here’s her response:

Hi Nanci~

I received your package and wanted to thank you again for your generosity! I gave one of the manuals to a very special lady that I know who is involved in helping so many people...she is the one who is coordinating our working at the Ronald McDonald House....she was so excited when I gave it to her because I had shown her my other manual and she was very interested in putting it to good use. I had to laugh because she knew I was going to get a freezer and she said she wanted one but didn't want a chest type because she was afraid she'd fall in and I quick opened up the manual to show her the pic of you "falling" in.

Thank you for including the pics of your niece...she certainly has grown up to be a very pretty young lady....with all the bad news these days it feels good to hear a "happy" story.

I can't wait to get started on our project....it definitely will be a "feel good" experience! Thank you again. Keep up the good work and I will keep you posted how things go. Take care Nanci!

---Janet :-)