CYPRESS, Texas — KHOU Stands for Houston by spotlighting and celebrating the Heroes Nextdoor who spread kindness while giving us all hope.
Tracy Jones and her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic might inspire you to dive deeper into a hobby you enjoy. The Cypress mom found her sweet spot in delivering joy by the dozen.
“Three years of success with a children’s transportation business that I owned. Everything was perfect,” said Jones, who owns SAFEConnect, a ride service for children in northwest Harris County. “Spring Break was coming, and kids went on break. Then instead of returning back to school, we were hearing of school closures. Shutdowns. The pandemic hit.”
Jones’ transportation business essentially fizzled overnight.
“And that in itself was troubling, and it hit me in an emotional way that I never imagined in a million years that it would," she said.
She leaned into family, perfecting a cookie recipe with her four kids. If you think she’s a regular Betty Crocker, “you know what’s funny is I would say no,” she said. “I’d bake and bake and bake. Throw batches away. And then finally, I got to a point where I made a pretty fantastic cookie.”
In April, she began boxing up cookies by the dozen. She used social media to spread her message. She was looking for frontline workers, elderly neighbors and families to surprise with her cookies. The whole thing, from baking to delivery, was donated by Jones who just wanted to spread joy.
“She just gave away so many cookies. And they are the best cookies I’ve ever had,” said Towne Lake neighbor Linda Harvey, whose daughter received a dozen chocolate chip cookies for her 8th birthday.
Jones describes each cookie as 6 ounces of crunchy, gooey goodness. The gourmet cookies are hand-rolled, baked to order and delivered fresh. She went from an act of service to a legitimate business on Friday.
Jones opened Milk Mustache for business. Customers can order a variety of gourmet cookies and opt to pick them up at a Farmer’s Market in Cypress or have the cookies delivered to a location in Cypress or Katy. Nationwide shipping will start in October as Jones works to open a factory in Houston. The hope is to hire back some SAFEConnect drivers who may be looking for work.
“And I just kind of, with a big leap of faith, said right now this is the time,” Jones said. “It was a blessing. And for it to turn into a business is absolutely mind-blowing for me.”
Something she never imagined in a million years, let alone 22 weeks into this national emergency. Jones is back to work, satisfying her urge to spread joy by tapping into her sweet spot.
KHOU 11 News Reporter Melissa Correa is using Nextdoor to find positive and uplifting stories about neighbors helping neighbors. That's how Linda Harvey shared this story idea. To connect with Melissa on Nextdoor, click here.