Launched: September 2020

Unique Fact: During prohibition, smugglers sneaked spirits from Canada into the U.S. through the area’s many forests and inlets.

Volunteers at first orientation: 16 amazing bakers

Help deliver more smiles in Western Washington!

Who inspired your love of baking?

I'm the youngest of 4 children and often got 'left behind' when the bigger kids ventured out into the neighborhood. To keep me occupied back at home, my mom would turn over her Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and let me explore the pantry. I could always find a recipe in the "cakes, pies, breads" sections that I could make; I remember working with yeast and meringue before I was 10!  My father is a chemist, and the more I practiced baking, the more I could understand the science behind it and what causes the magic to happen or fail. 

What was your biggest #bakingfail?

Ugh, I still cringe thinking about it! I was in my 20's and a friend was having a birthday party and asked me to make her cake. I was going to be working all day and decided to wait til the night of the party to decorate, and took some shortcuts using pie filling and that grocery store, pre-mixed frosting in a tub to decorate it.  It was a hot day, and those frostings are already really soft, and my friend lived an hour from me. By the time I got to her house (with about 50 people at the party) all the filling had broken through the frosting and was oozing out all sides of the cake. It was a disaster. I told my friend we needed to leave it in the box, but she insisted on putting candles on it and having everyone sing to her.  The filling was a bright raspberry goo dripping off the cake stand, and I overheard someone say it looked like a scene from a horror movie! I was mortified, but the crowd didn't care, and they still ate it.  I learned a lot that night, and have never used grocery store pre-made frosting since then! 

Why did you want to start a Cake4Kids in your area?

I have so many happy memories of birthday cakes when I was a kid. Being a Cake4Kids baker is a great fit for me - I can be creative, I can practice, but I can also be a hidden part of a child's special day - they are creating a memory, and that cake was there for it.  When my husband and I decided to move to Washington, I didn't want to leave Cake4Kids behind, and had to figure out how to take it with me. I'm so glad Cake4Kids was open to starting a new chapter and helping me reach more kids and deliver more smiles one birthday cake at a time! 

If you’re interested in baking, please visit the Volunteer page!

If you are a caseworker or work at an agency and are interested in partnering with Cake4Kids to receive free cakes for your youth, please visit Who We Help to request our services!

If you still have questions, please contact me at cynthia@cake4kids.org.

Chapter Volunteers

In addition to all of our amazing bakers, meet the special volunteers who help keep our chapter running smoothly!