Imagine you’re walking into Panera Bread to enjoy a breakfast sandwich and an iced coffee on a Saturday morning in late May. As you enter, though, you are halted by a group of middle school girls all dressed in the same organization’s t-shirt. Your first thoughts may likely be… what are these kids going to ask me for? How much are they are going to request I donate to their cause?

Every April in honor of Autism Awareness month Covelli Enterprises launches its ‘Pieces of Hope for Autism’ cookie campaign. This year the campaign spanned 7 states, involved 215 Panera Bread locations and the hard labor of more than 450 bakers, and raised more than $250,000. Since 2010, Covelli Enterprises has raised more than $2 million to support local autism organizations in the areas its serves.