East Windsor mom hosts ‘Cookies with Santa’ photo shoot for charity
By Bernadette Suski-Harding, Special Writer
Growing up in Cincinnati, Susan Kasziba frequently heard stories about her grandparents’ legendary generosity. During college, when Ms. Kasziba lived with her grandparents in Staten Island, NY, she witnessed it firsthand. Every Tuesday.
Once a week, Catherine O’Callaghan — ‘Mac’ to everyone who knew her — prepared and served dinner to as many as 60 residents of a nearby homeless shelter. The dinners were enjoyed at Mac’s stately Victorian home, on fine china set with real silver. Ms. Kasziba knows this because she was often there, along with any cousins, aunts, uncles and family friends whose schedules allowed, helping to prepare and serve the meals, and clean up afterward.
The silverware came about by accident when Grandma Mac ran out of plastic forks and used silverware instead.
”A man commented that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten off a real fork. From that day forward, my grandmother used only the best,” Ms. Kasziba says. “She cooked whatever meat was on sale that week, and more vegetables than you could imagine. And there was always corned beef at St. Patrick’s Day.”
Before Ms. Kasziba became pregnant with her third child, she decided it was time to teach her son and daughter about the joy of helping others.
”I wanted to find a way to show my children that it can be fun as well as rewarding to do something that benefits someone else.”
She did that by organizing and hosting Cookies With Santa photo shoots each year, which this year will take Place Nov. 24, noon to 3 p.m. at the Kasziba home in East Windsor. The shoot raises money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
”I started thinking about all the talented, generous people I know,” Ms. Kasziba says about starting Cookies With Santa. Among those people were photographers and her dad, who each year played Santa for the same Staten Island homeless shelter her grandmother had cooked for.
”That’s kind of where I came up with the idea to host a ‘Cookies with Santa’ photo shoot,” Ms. Kasziba said.
This year’s photographers are East Windsor residents Jeannette Schneider and Renee Spero; both will photograph each family, and participants will have the chance to choose their favorite photo in time for holiday gift card ordering. The requested donation is $15 per family (which covers cookies, a craft and the photo shoot), with all proceeds donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a charity Ms. Kasziba became involved with through her work at the Estée Lauder Companies.
To reserve a spot contact Susan Kasziba at [email protected] (preferred) or 609-443-1937.