Brentwood baker sells 7,500 Dolly Parton cookies for Imagination Library

Clint Akins, a deaf baker at Brentwood's Puffy Muffin, has sold more than 7,500 Dolly Parton-themed cookies in September, with profits going to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Akins created the frosted cookies, which feature Dolly-inspired words and phrases, to coincide with Deaf Awareness Month. His connection to Parton runs deeper than fandom. As a child, Akins lost his hearing after a serious illness. When Parton visited his school to read to students, the session was interpreted so he could follow along.

That moment stuck.

Akins told NewsChannel 5 his favorite Parton song is "I Will Always Love You," and the sentiment behind it drives his desire to give back to children through books. Berenice Vasquez, who helped Akins communicate during the interview, said hearing and deaf children have the same opportunity to learn "word by word."

Puffy Muffin owner Kristi Stone Green said demand has been relentless. "People have been asking and we have been running out of them daily," she said.

Cake room supervisor Renee Parella decorates each limited-edition cookie, according to the bakery's website. Puffy Muffin, a family-owned bakery and restaurant celebrating 40 years in Williamson County, has a history with Parton. The bakery previously created a cake for her 50th anniversary at the Grand Ole Opry.

Profits from the cookies benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a program Parton launched in 1995 that mails a free book each month to children from birth to age five, regardless of family income. Local community partners share funding with Parton's foundation. The program now operates in five countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

No end date for the fundraiser has been announced. The cookies are available at Puffy Muffin in Brentwood while supplies last.