“Grandma turned 95 years old in 2021, during the corona pandemic,” says initiator Mark Simoons. “Of course she couldn’t celebrate that at the time. To make her feel a bit like her birthday, I set up a card campaign.”
His appeal on Instagram did not fall on deaf ears: Grandma Coby received more than two hundred birthday cards and even flowers and gifts from all over the country. “So many people responded then that they wanted to do more to combat loneliness.”
“That made such an impact on her that I thought: what if we could do something for more elderly people?” De Kudelstaarter remembers. Grandma Coby’s wish was simple. “Just another fun party, like old times. Enjoy a bit of dancing and flirting.”
Familiar family recipe
“In order to organize something, I had to sell something. Grandma used to bake oliebollen for the whole neighborhood, so I asked for her recipe,” Mark explains. “That originally came from her mother, but grandma Coby has put her own twist on it. It really is her authentic recipe.”
Traditionally, the first ‘Cobybol’ of the season is inspected by grandma Coby herself. “Every year she says: ‘You can do it again this year, but they have to be good. My name is above it.’ Fortunately, they passed the test again this year.”
Rock & Roll through the oliebollen
The proceeds from the oliebollen sale go to the De Tijdmachine Foundation. “They use the money to organize parties in nursing homes throughout the country. We like to give the elderly a great evening, with all the hits from the past.”
Mark hopes to be able to break last year’s record during this fourth edition. “We sold 17,450 oliebollen. We were able to organize fourteen parties this year. We naturally look out for each other more during Christmas, but the impact of these oliebollen goes much further than just December.”
Pickup party
Customers can place an order online and pick it up at Oma Coby’s Oliebollenbar. Volunteers make it a pleasant affair with hot chocolate, but do not lose sight of the most important goal and start a conversation about loneliness among the elderly.
If possible, Grandma Coby likes to be present when handing out the end-of-year snacks. This also applies to her care center in Aalsmeer. “Then she is ready with a link and a QR code. She writes down the room number of people for whom mobile payment is not possible. That will work out later.”