Kindness, Creativity…and Cake
By Kate Walter Thursday, May 30, 2024
Volunteer bakers around the country are stirring the batter and spreading the icing to ensure that at-risk kids living in foster care, shelters, and group homes have a birthday or graduation cake.
While bakers need a good level of decorating skill to write on the cake, they don’t have to be pros, explained Alison Bakewell, executive director of Cake4Kids, a national nonprofit that matches bakers with underprivileged kids wanting a birthday cake. She says many volunteers are at home hobby bakers and there are a couple of retired pastry chefs. However, even a box cake with canned frosting can put a much-needed smile on a kid’s face.
“We have a lot of retirees finding great joy and delivering smiles to underserved children as volunteers,” says Bakewell of Cake4Kids. “One of our most prolific bakers is 83. This is a great opportunity for seniors.”
Since Cake4Kids was started in 2010, their bakers have made and delivered 61,000 cakes. The nonprofit organization now has over 5,000 volunteers spread over 27 chapters in 20 states and partners with 1,100 social service agencies.