Goodwill Ugly Sweater Party Fundraiser (2019)

In 2019, we got to work with the Goodwill store located in Manhattan's Flatiron neighborhood on an Ugly Sweater holiday fundraiser. Guests were able to browse the store for ugly sweaters, snack on cheese, and grab a spiked hot chocolate from the bar.

The Ugly Sweater Party Menu

We pushed some clothing racks aside to set up a cheese-based graze, complete with lots of snackable crackers, fruit, dried fruit, and nuts. We were lucky to find gorgeous black grapes and cape gooseberries.

In addition to cheese, we also served cozy orange and purple sweet potato rounds with torched marshmallow and pecans. It was like a warm, Thanksgiving treat you could pick up.

We put together simple ham and Swiss cheese crostini with pickled red onion. And pesto-stuffed mushrooms to round out the snacks.

A Party Tip

Hosting a hot chocolate bar is easy! Simply keep it on low heat in a pot on the stove. Make sure it doesn't come to a boil, milk can scald or create a skin. Prepare a ladle on a large spoon rest nearby. Give it a stir to prevent any from sticking to the bottom. With powder mixes, this isn't so much of a problem. But if you use real chocolate or cacao tablets, you'll need to keep an eye on it and stir occasionally.

If you don't want guests near the stove, you can transfer the hot chocolate to a slow cooker on the "keep warm" setting. And if you want to take the hot cocoa bar elsewhere, invest in a hot drink carafe with a pump. Many thermos-style dispensers are insulated, so your beverage stays hot for up to 24 hours!