She Called the Cops on My Kids for Selling Homemade Cookies Outside the Library - ‘Unlicensed Food O

It was just two kids, a card table, and a handwritten sign:

“Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies - $2. All for the Animal Shelter.”

No oven on-site.
No raw eggs lying around.
Just pre-baked, wrapped treats-made in our kitchen, labeled with ingredients, and sold with shy smiles outside the public library entrance during Saturday story hour.

But to her-a woman in oversized sunglasses and a “Support Local Business” tote-it was an “illegal food vending operation.”
She didn’t buy a cookie.
She didn’t ask how old they were.
She called 911 and reported a “rogue bake sale” posing a “public health risk.”

Yes-the police showed up.
To a table of 8- and 10-year-olds holding Tupperware containers.

The officers took one look, asked if the cookies were nut-free (they were), and said:

“Best cookie tax I’ve seen all week. Keep the change.”

But she didn’t stop there.
She filed a complaint with the county health department, demanding an inspection and citing “unlicensed confection distribution in a public zone.”

So we didn’t shut down.
We leaned in-thanks to our state’s “Cottage Food Law,” which explicitly allows kids to sell non-hazardous homemade goods like cookies, brownies, and bread without commercial permits.

We printed mini “certificates” for each batch:

“Made with love. Approved by law.”

And the next weekend?
We hosted “Cookie Freedom Day”-with 15 kid-run stands outside the library, a local bakery donating supplies, and the mayor buying a dozen.

Stay until the end-you’ll see the health inspector hand her a copy of the state law…
with “Chocolate Chip = Legal” highlighted in gold.

Thank you for watching! 🍪📚
If you believe childhood entrepreneurship shouldn’t need a health code audit, comment below: Did your kid ever sell cookies, lemonade, or crafts? Were they ever shut down?

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