Loneliness Awareness Week

In an age of virtual everything, Lion Cub’s Cookies (recently ranked No. 2 in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Cookie Shop of 2025) is proving that real connection still happens face to face, with a cookie in hand.

In honor of Loneliness Awareness Week, the beloved Columbus-based cookie company did the unthinkable: it closed its two booming storefronts on a Saturday, its busiest day of the week, and reopened for one day only inside Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber, a local retirement community.

Developed by Charlotte-based agency lüquire, the one-day activation, called “Share a Warm Moment,” was more than a clever stunt. It became a catalyst for conversation around an often invisible epidemic: loneliness, especially among older adults.

Guests were invited to sit and share a cookie and a moment with residents who, in many cases, described it as the “happiest day they’ve had in years.” lüquire engineered the effort as an earned-first campaign designed to create impact in both metrics and meaning. The campaign not only tugged on heartstrings, it moved product and perception.

By the numbers:
The activation doubled average Saturday sales rate even after closing all locations on Lion Cub’s busiest day of the week (Saturday).
Cookies sold out halfway through the activation, with a cookie selling every second.
A a half a million eyes on an overlooked cause, without a single PSA.

To sustain momentum, Lion Cub’s launched a limited-edition “shareable cookie,” with 20% of proceeds going to Ohio State University’s Age-Friendly Innovation Center. Visitors are encouraged to continue the mission by sharing their own stories using the hashtag #ShareAWarmMoment, purchasing shareable cookies, or volunteering with older adults.