BARBERTON, Ohio — Every Wednesday, Pastor Juanita Watson of Faith Outreach Ministries: The Faith Factory, opens her church doors to give the community a mid-week boost.
But last Wednesday, that energy was drained when Watson said she received a delivery from Insomnia Cookies that she did not purchase.
“I picked the box up, prepared to throw it away when I turned the box over, I noticed that it was an order ticket with a name. It was addressed to the church, and that’s when I noticed the racial slurs all over the order ticket,” said Watson.
I asked Watson if she was discouraged by the delivery of cookies to her church.
Watson responded and said, “No, not discouraged, and I plan on being what I’ve been, which is steadfast,”
The pastor said she just moved in about a month ago, so she believed whoever sent this order wants her to leave.
Yet, Watson said she plans to stay.
“I feel like if you’ve never had to see opposition where you are then you’re likely not where you’re supposed to be,” said Watson.
According to an investigative report, the Barberton Police Department is working with Insomnia Cookies to find the suspect.
Since it is a first-time event, detectives claimed the case does not qualify for charges based on how these incidents have been historically charged.
They also said it doesn’t inherently imply violence or indicate any intimidation.
But if it happens again, detectives will investigate the case as harassment.
Meanwhile, Insomnia Cookies released the following statement:
“The incident that took place at our Akron bakery does not reflect our company’s values. We take this incident seriously and are working on safeguards to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
“They did, I believe, try and rectify the situation. They were genuinely apologetic and honestly just speechless,” said Watson.
Watson learned from the bakery that an employee must not have paid attention to what was said, but she said the delivery driver did after messaging Watson a picture on Facebook.
“Come to find out, there were two boxes delivered, so the person actually came, they picked up their direct box and they intentionally left the box for us,” said Watson.
Although Watson didn’t have cameras at the time, she encourages the person to come forward to receive forgiveness.
“I believe that Jesus leaves the 99 to go get the 1, and I don’t care what you’ve done. I don’t care what you ever will do. His love is enough to cover it,” said Watson.
This Sunday at 3:30 p.m., Watson encourages the community to stand in solidarity against racism, social injustice, poverty, hopelessness and addiction at 432 Wooster Rd North, Barberton, Ohio 44203.
To bring literature or set up a table, email faithoutreachministries2022@gmail.com.
