Travis Kelce and Donna Kelce (Getty Images)
In 2024, Donna Kelce’s famous family cookie recipe became more than a beloved treat. What began with a simple idea had already raised $4,100 by February 2024, giving the project a bigger impact than its modest beginnings suggested. Stowe first crossed paths with Donna after Kelce purchased 20 mugs as Christmas gifts in 2023. Donna agreed, allowing Stowe to donate $5 from every mug sold to help clear lunch debt at local elementary schools. The mugs were priced at $18 and featured the recipe alongside an iPhone Memoji-style image of Donna.
It turned into a small but meaningful fundraising effort for Kansas schoolchildren struggling with lunch debt. A local business owner received permission from the mother of NFL stars Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce to place the recipe on handmade mugs, with part of every sale going towards school meal debt. The idea came from Annie Stowe, owner of Annie’s Barn, a small business where she makes mugs in the basement of her Overland Park home. After the purchase, Stowe contacted Donna with a charitable proposal. She wanted to feature the famous chocolate chip cookie recipe Donna had made for Travis and Jason on a new mug.
Stowe initially revealed that the sales had generated $2,000 in 2023 . After a local television report highlighted the effort, another $2,100 came in, taking the total to $4,100 . Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news , check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule .
“We sold enough mugs to raise $2,000 [in 2023],” Stowe told PEOPLE. “I’m like, ‘What has my life become?’” She also explained why she hoped others would make the cookies themselves: “It’s an absolute favorite for me and everyone in the family” and that she hopes other people “will enjoy them as much as we have through the years and gather in the kitchen with their own families and friends to bake them, just as I do with mine. She said she had invited Kelce to join her, although the Super Bowl schedule made the timing difficult.
The personal touch helped turn a piece of Kelce family history into a fundraiser with a practical goal. The money went through Stowe’s Out of the Red Friday initiative, which focuses on paying off school lunch debt. The fundraiser came at a time when school meal debt remained a serious issue for families across the United States. Stowe’s project offered a direct way for customers to contribute while buying a handmade item tied to one of football’s best-known families. The campaign also reflected Donna’s willingness to share something personal for a cause involving children. Her cookie recipe had already become part of the Kelce family’s public story after she became widely recognised for making the treats for Travis and Jason. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines For Stowe, the next step was potentially delivering the funds directly to schools with Donna. The fundraiser showed how a simple family recipe could take on a second life. In this case, every mug sold helped turn Donna Kelce’s famous cookies into support for children who needed help with school meals. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
Donna previously described the recipe as something especially meaningful to her.