Cookies for charity have played a popular role in Austin, and Houston residents will soon be getting the chance to taste Tiff’s Treats and spare change for a life-changing cause.

At the request of customers in the Austin and Dallas area, the store has decided to expand into Houston with the opening of one store on April 14 and five more within the next 18 months, said Evan Jenkins, 2009 UT alumnus and Austin marketing director for Tiff’s Treats. Tiff’s Treats will continue its tradition of charitable giving, which has been a part of their store openings since 2008, to commemorate the occasion.

Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. that day, cookie boxes will be sold at $3 per box at the new location, and all proceeds will be given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to benefit sick children and their families. Currently, Tiff’s Treats is located only in the Austin and Dallas areas. This marks a major new expansion for the UT-student founded company and is the beginning of big plans for company expansion and future charitable donations, said Tiffany Chen, 2001 UT alumna and co-founder of Tiff’s Treats.

Specifically, this opening will benefit Catherine, a child suffering from leukemia in the Houston area. Her wish is to meet professional chef and host of TLC network’s “Cake Boss,” Buddy Valastro, said Chen.

Tiff’s Treats partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation because they wanted to make a contribution with serious, visible and immediate results, Chen said.

“Every new store we’ve opened since 2008, we have worked to grant the wish of a specific child,” she said. “We can have that child and their family come out and work in our store that day. This way, we can show customers what their contributing to and say ‘we’re doing this’”.

This partnership has led to the contribution of over $35,000 and six wishes being granted thus far, said Leon Chen, 2001 UT alumnus and co-founder of Tiff’s Treats.

“It’s an amazing charity,” he said. “We get to provide a child with a really fun day, working in a cookie store and then make their wish come true.”

The Make-A-Wish Foundation has been an exceptional partner for the company and has been able to make the store openings extremely memorable, Jenkins said.

“It’s just worked out well and been a very cool thing to see,” he said. “We plan to work with them on every store opening in the foreseeable future.”

Printed on Friday, March 30, 2012 as: Tiff's Treats continues charity tradition with Houston launch