Volunteers launch Connecticut Cake4Kids branch to bake personalized birthday cakes for kids in foster care, group homes, shelters
Cake4Kids is a national nonprofit organization whose volunteers bake decorated, personalized birthday cakes for kids in foster care, group homes, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and other unstable living situations. (Courtesy Cake4Kids)
Hartford Courant
By Susan Dunne
Monday, January 11, 2021 7:57 am
When Jaclyn Dougan, a family advocate with Middlesex Health in Middletown, met with one of her regular families last year, the kids were excited that a birthday was coming up. But the mom was stressed, because she couldn’t afford a birthday cake.
“In a program I work in, we can’t bake or give anything like that. So I started to look at other resources available for this, which is something a lot of our families face,” Dougan said.
Dougan discovered Cake4Kids, a California-based nonprofit whose volunteers bake and decorate birthday cakes for kids in foster care, group homes, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and other refuges from unstable living situations.
Dougan is now the ambassador in the newly opened Connecticut chapter of Cake4Kids. In addition to running the chapter, she coordinates a team of 34 volunteer bakers, including herself.
“Baking is a hobby of mine. It’s great to bake with a cause,” said Dougan, who lives in Wethersfield.
Since opening on Nov. 12, Dougan’s branch has donated 35 cakes to children, whom they find through their case workers.
For now, the Connecticut chapter serves just Hartford County. Dougan said she hopes to expand to other counties, if she gets enough volunteers and organizational partners. “New Haven County is next on our list,” she said. The coronavirus pandemic has slowed the expansion, she said, but it is still moving forward.
Cake4Kids is a national nonprofit organization whose volunteers bake decorated, personalized birthday cakes for kids in foster care, group homes, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and other unstable living situations. Each cake has the child's name and is decorated with the child's hobbies and interests. (Courtesy Cake4Kids)
Alison Bakewell, director of operations for the Cake4Kids national office, said for kids with tumultuous lives, a birthday cake is more than just a birthday cake.
“It really builds self-esteem and makes the youth feel special, knowing that a complete stranger went out of their way to make something especially for them, something that they requested,” Bakewell said. “We hear over and over again from youth, especially teens, that it is their first birthday cake ever.”
NAFI CT, a human services agency, is a founding partner in the Cake4Kids Connecticut branch. NAFI CT Director of Operations Amy Lefebvre said kids with stressful childhoods don’t take birthdays for granted.
“Every kid should celebrate birthdays. They’re important. But sometimes they don’t feel they are important,” Lefebvre said. “The difference a cake on their birthday makes is amazing, especially when the cake is all about that kid. We always ensure the kid’s name is on the cake.”
When NAFI arranges cakes for youths, each recipient gives their favorite flavors and hobbies. “We find out if she is into unicorns or LEGO or SpongeBob or ‘Blue’s Clues,’ if she likes chocolate,” Lefebvre said. “When the cakes come, the kids are just thrilled.”
Due to privacy concerns, bakers never meet the kids. They deliver cakes to case workers. Bakewell — who, despite her perfect name, does not bake for Cake4Kids — said the cakes help case workers, too.
“So many of these youth didn’t have the best start in life, get moved from home to home and don’t trust adults. This can make it difficult for the case worker to build trust,” she said. “When a case worker asks what kind of cake they want and then delivers it … it can create a bond and build trust.”
Bakewell said since the nonprofit was founded 10 years ago, 23,744 cakes have been delivered in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, Washington and Washington D.C. New branches are expected to open this year in Massachusetts, Idaho, Kansas and Georgia, she said.
Cakes must be decorated to the child’s request. Dougan said formal decorating skills are welcome but not mandatory.
“You don’t have to be a professional baker by any means. There are a lot of different ways you can decorate. You may not have the technical skills to do piping, but you can use edible paper or toys to cover the cake, or candy melts. It’s actually amazing how many ways there are to make amazing-looking cakes,” she said.
To donate or to discuss partnering with the Connecticut chapter, email jaclyn@cake4kids.org. To volunteer as a baker, visit cake4kids.org/volunteer.
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
—-