If your cookbook project does not fit the parameters of G&R’s cookbook program, don’t fret! We can still help make your cookbook a reality under our custom book program. Sound confusing? Well, it really isn’t too different from the cookbook program.

If you’re interested in features that we don’t provide as part of our custom cookbook program then we’ll move the book into the custom book program. Taking your books unique aspects, we’ll help shape it into an end product that fits your needs. Everything can be laid out to your specifications. Our customer support team will walk you through the process ensuring a smooth transition during each stage of your project. Each book will get quoted separately based on what the customer wants.

Recently, G&R helped Beth Rentz, a resident of Rochester, MN, customize her cookbook. Feed Many is a cookbook full of recipes and helpful hints for cooking for big crowds. Not only was it designed to be durable in the kitchen, it also has many helpful tools, such as detailed drawings of table plans, to help others succeed while serving large numbers. The finished product was exactly what Rentz was looking for, expressing that she “couldn’t say enough positives about G&R and the team.” To learn more about Rentz’s book visit www.feedmany.com.

So if you have a cookbook that needs a few extra bells and whistles, don’t worry… G&R has the tools and staff to make your book a success. For more information on how move forward with a custom book project, contact
G&R’s Account Specialists at 800-383-1679 or email us at books@gandrpublishing.com. No matter what form your project takes, we’ll do our best to make it happen.

My favorite fundraising events, that I remember participating in, are from grade school. Our principle always promised to do something crazy, if as a school we reached a goal set by her. Well, I can’t remember a year when we didn’t reach the goal! Some examples of CRAZY things I remember my principle doing are: dying her hair pink, being a human hotdog or human ice cream sundae, and getting plunged into a dunk tank. Doing these silly things when reaching a goal got everyone involved from all across our school.

But if a leader is not daring enough to dye their hair PINK or get messy, here are some of my top five ideas to get kids engaged in the fundraising process.

Group or Classroom Prize Ideas:

1. Have a carnival day! Rent inflatables or other fun carnival like games for the kids to play and celebrate their achievement. This can be costly, so if it’s not in your budget, get parents involved and make some homemade carnival games!
2. If it’s a smaller group, rent a limo for an hour and drive around. You could still use this as an educational opportunity about nature or the town while enjoying the spoils of a job well done.
3. Offer an exciting field trip like a movie at a local theatre, park outing, or swimming pool party.
4. For budget friendly reward, offer a pajama day or dress up day!
5. OR a prize could be as simple as giving the group extra recess! Kids love to run around and play.

Individual Prize Ideas:

1. The top selling student gets to switch roles with the principle for a day. The student gets to be the principle and the principle gets to be the student.
2. The top selling individual chooses a favorite staff person for an outside-of-school meal/lunch.
3. Work with a local sports team or organization. Maybe the top selling individual would get to walk out onto the field with the players for the quarter toss or gets to be on the sidelines for a game.
4. Have a raffle prize! Depending on what type of fundraiser you have, for every X amount of either products or dollars sold the student would get a ticket for the raffle. Ideas for a prize could be a new bike or a toy that is really sought after.
5. The top selling student gets to job shadow someone from the community for a day. This would involve working with individuals or businesses from the community. For example, my school once offered the top two students to work at McDonald’s for an afternoon.

While these fundraising idea’s focus on a school fundraiser, they can be changed and reworked to be successful for any type of kid’s fundraiser. Keep in mind, these are just a few ideas and there’s plenty more out there. I hope this post lessens your anxiety of getting kids to participate in fundraisers and gets you excited to put one together!

While perusing a garage sale recently, I found an item that made my heart leap with excitement. It wasn’t too pretty, but I knew the memories it held. It was an old and tattered copy of a custom cookbook my grandmother’s church had done thirty plus years ago. I was enthralled with the possibility that I might find some of her recipes inside. I was just a teenager when my grandmother passed and not savvy enough to save precious items like a recipe box.I took the book home and spent a good hour pouring through it, delighted each time I found her name next to a recipe. Granted, some of the recipes confused me… homemade ice cream with odd instructions; I didn’t realize until I spoke with my dad that she used an ice cream maker. But, I was still tickled to have that piece of personal history intact for me to hold dear.

I’m sure my grandmother didn’t put much thought into the act of providing those few recipes at the request of her church all those years ago. But, that simple cookbook is now something that has reminded me of so many good memories: her not-so-perfect angel food cakes, family Sunday dinners, cans of generic pop stored in the fridge door for a child’s easy access – after asking of course, and how she’d dig in her bingo money jar to give each kid a few quarters then used to find treasures at the local dime store.

I have very few artifacts from my grandmother’s life… but I now have one more. And, who knows? Maybe someday your grandchildren will be telling their own version of my story.

“I just wanted to tell you how much we LOVE our cookbooks! They are so beautiful, and you did such a great job with the printing and layout. The online system makes the whole process very easy. Thank you so much for all your wonderful help.”

– Maureen Chandler, Bethlehem United Methodist Church

“…to let you know how very much Laurie and I appreciated your help in the printing of our cookbook. You, along with the other staff at G&R, should be commended for a highly professional job, and complimented for your excellent customer service – perhaps the best I’ve ever encountered, and that’s saying a lot considering I’ve worked in both the public and private sectors for over 34 years. Rest assured we’ll certainly recommend your company to anyone who needs a book published.”

– Jill Chandler, Two Sister’s Cookbook

Publish these recipes so others can continue to cherish memories just like yours.