SDJA Students Give Back to Five Local Charities — Cake4Kids

[Cake4Kids San Diego Ambassador Alison Andreas, third from left, accepting a giant check from SJDA] SDJA presented checks to five local nonprofits. (Karen Billing)

Del Mar Times
By Karen Billing
January 23, 2019 6:50 a.m.

San Diego Jewish Academy students presented $7,066.15 to five local nonprofits at an assembly on Jan. 18. The gifts were the proceeds of the students’ Hanukkah charitable project that reflects the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam, which means “repairing the world.” Giant checks were given to Friendship Circle, Cake4Kids, Canine Companions for Independence, Make-A-Wish San Diego and Lev LaLev, a girls orphanage in Netanaya, Israel.

The SDJA project is known as Tamchui, which is an Aramaic word that means "community collection pot.” Parent volunteers Jacqueline Shapiro and Karin Zell helped organize the project to help provide students with a deeper experience when it comes to giving back and impacting their community.

For the Tamchui project, eighth grade students heard presentations from the five different charity organizations. The eighth graders were then in charge of spreading the word about each charity to the entire K-12 student body—speaking about how Friendship Circle offers fun and inclusive activities for kids and teens with special needs or how Cake4Kids provides birthday cakes for underprivileged children to help celebrate their special day.

All SDJA students then “donated” by placing poker chips in the fishbowl boxes of the charity of choice, in a room lined with festive posters of each charity.

The canine companion in attendance at the school assembly was especially popular with the kids and the nonprofit received the largest individual donation of $1,719.83.

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These San Diego Charities & Organizations Need Your Help in 2020 — Cake4Kids

By Mary Beth Abate
Updated November 22, 2019 10:53 a.m. EST

The holiday season has arrived, and with it comes the usual sense of goodwill and generosity that many of us feel towards our fellow humans. How can you hold on to that feeling all year long? It's simple: by giving your time to help those who are struggling with illiteracy, poverty, illness, who need someone to talk to or just a kind shoulder to lean on. Here in San Diego, sites like VolunteerMatch and HandsOn San Diego help you find volunteer opportunities that are the best fit for you. In that spirit, we’ve collected more than two dozen local nonprofits and organizations where you can provide help for your fellow San Diegans. And, remember, if you can’t commit your time, each of the sites below have a “Donate” button to make it easier than every to help someone in need.

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Bake for at-risk youth

Birthdays and cake go hand-in-hand, and every child should know the feeling of having a cake, cookies, cupcakes, or other sweet treats made just for them on their special day. Founder Libby Gruender began Cake4Kids in 2010 after being inspired by a news story about a young foster child’s emotional reaction to receiving her very first birthday cake. Now, Cake4Kids partners with over 140 agencies that support at-risk children and young adults (ages 1-24) who are in foster care, group homes, homeless shelters, transitional and low income housing, and domestic violence and human trafficking shelters. Volunteers purchase ingredients, bake and decorate the goodies in their own homes, and deliver them to an assigned agency, which ensures that it reaches the birthday child. You should be a reasonably decent baker and decorator and over 18, with a valid driver’s license and proof of auto insurance. Bakers 16-17 years old can participate as part of a parent/child team.

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Bakers Make Birthdays Sweeter for Foster Kids

By Bianca Kaplanek
November 30, 2017

COAST CITIES — When it comes to helping less fortunate youngsters, Alison Andreas literally takes the cake.

Thanks to her efforts, 123 of the small and large confections have been baked, decorated and delivered this year to foster children and at-risk youth in San Diego.

“I set a goal that I wanted to bake birthday cakes for foster kids this year,” the Cardiff-by-the-Sea resident said. “It was a very random goal.”

An internet search in January led Andreas to Cake4Kids, which was created in 2010 to provide free birthday cakes to children in crisis in the San Francisco Bay area.

“We did some research and found there weren’t any similar programs in the county but we found there was a very large population in need here,” she said. “There are 3,000 foster kids on average and we are ranked No. 6 in the nation for youth homelessness.”

Andreas began recruiting volunteers in April by posting fliers in coffee shops, contacting local businesses and advertising on social media. She also reached out to the San Diego Cake Cub.

Her new goal is to serve 10 percent of the foster care population in three years, but that will require more than 100 volunteer bakers, she said.

“We now have a little more than 60 volunteers, mostly from fliers, volunteersmatch.org or word-of-mouth through friends at the cake club,” she said. “We even had a person who rented a car and told a person at the car rental agency about Cake4Kids and that person talked to a friend who showed up at orientation.”

Volunteers must be 16 or older and are required to register on the organization’s website, clear a background check and then attend one of the monthly orientations held throughout the county.

“We do ask that people are somewhat proficient at baking and decorating,” said Andreas, who describes herself as a pretty average baker. “But there is no minimum commitment. They can bake as many or as few as they like.”

Requests come from children through one of seven partner agencies such as Casa de Amparo in Solana Beach and YMCA Youth and Family Services in Oceanside.

Bakers, who provide their own supplies and ingredients, then choose the specific cake request and delivery location and date.

“We understand a lot of times foster kids in care have never had a cake of their own,” Andreas said. “In one case it was a 12-year-old boy. So he cried and the staff that supports him cried.

“This provides a special bonding moment for case workers and the kids,” she added. “For the bakers, it allows them to combine a hobby with serving a populating they really care about. So it’s a win-win.”

Solana Beach resident Chloe Dugger said she volunteered because she enjoys decorating cakes and being involved in the community.

“I was intrigued by the concept of providing cakes, cupcakes and baked goods to people who appreciate being recognized on their birthdays or special events,” she said. “I like the Cake4Kids program because it allows foster kids and at-risk youth to feel valued and celebrated.

“I love that the program provides cakes and cupcakes to people who may have never gotten a treat on their birthday before,” Dugger added. “It’s a great tool to connect you to the community and feel like you are making a positive impact.

“My most memorable delivery was probably my first one,” she added. “I was a little nervous as I was delivering the cake, but the woman I gave it to was so excited and happy, my nervousness went away.

“She told me how much she loves getting cakes from Cake4Kids because she knows how much the kids appreciate them,” Dugger said. “She was just so generous and thankful, which helped me to get even more excited about making more cakes.”

Andreas, an IT project manager and a mother of a 10-year-old, said she has no history with the foster care system.

“I’ve just always had a soft spot for foster kids and underprivileged youth and wanted to do something like this this year,” she said. “I had a very fortunate upbringing and I think all kids should have a good start. I think birthdays are a special occasion and they should be celebrated.”

Visit cake4kids.org for more information

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Cake4Kids Expands to San Diego to Offer Birthday Experiences for Foster Youth

Del Mar Times
By Brittany Woolsey
June 29, 2017 1:20 p.m.

When Alison Andreas heard that there were children who had never celebrated their birthdays properly, she decided to do something about it.

The Cardiff-by-the-Sea woman set a goal for herself this year to provide 100 birthday cakes and other treats to San Diego foster children and other kids in need.

“I’ve always had a thing for foster kids, and last year my daughter and I did our own homegrown fundraiser where we made pies to buy school supplies,” she said. “I read a story when I was young about kids in foster care having to pack their clothes when they moved between homes in trash bags, and it just broke my heart. I feel like these kids have enough challenges as it is, so I feel like for them to have a little bit of normalcy and feel good and special, any little thing that can be done to help them is valuable.”

However, realizing she had a large task on her hands, she began doing some research online to find people with similar intentions.

Her search led her to the Bay Area-based Cake4Kids, a nonprofit that donates baked goods to children in need for their birthdays. After Andreas contacted them earlier this year, they agreed to let her expand the program to San Diego.

The program serves foster and homeless children, as well as kids who are in domestic violence and human trafficking situations, Andreas said.

Since bringing it to San Diego, Andreas has recruited a handful of volunteers to bake goods for children at Casa de Amparo in San Marcos and San Diego Youth Services in Point Loma. She said she is also receiving requests from other similar organizations.

Children are invited to fill out an order form with what kind of treat they want — cakes, brownies, cookies and cupcakes — along with options for frostings, flavors and decorations.

Past themes have included Pokemon and the band 21 Pilots, Andreas said.

“Birthdays are special and should be celebrated,” she said. “Anything we can do to make these kids feel special is important. It takes a whole host of services to help kids in foster care and homeless kids. This is just one of many services that can help them feel like they’re having a normal childhood and celebrating a special day.”

She added San Diego is the sixth largest city for homeless youth in the nation, and there are an average of 3,000 foster kids in the county each year. Most of those children spend an average of three birthdays in care, she said.

Joanne Fodor, a volunteer baker from Encinitas, said she hopes the children realize their importance and that their lives are worth celebrating.

Anthony Parham, foster care program manager at San Diego Youth Services, said the birthday celebrations “mean the world” to the children.

“We had one youth who had never had a birthday party and we were able to have Cake4Kids donate a cake for this youth,” he said. “He got very emotional when he saw the cake because he had never had his own birthday party or cake before. He just celebrated his 12th birthday. ... This program reaches out to the underserved and underprivileged in a way that we may not be able to serve them. There is love, compassion and kindness in these cakes, and it’s a world of wonder for the youth receiving them.”

So far, Andreas has recruited about 45 volunteers, including members of the San Diego Cake Club, but is looking to get to at least 200 volunteer bakers in the next year. Bakers also do deliveries, she said.

Michelle Grad, an Emergency Room doctor and mother, said she takes time out of her busy schedule to volunteer with the program because she wants to teach her children the importance of giving back.

“My husband finished Sparta300 for Charity, and we, as a family, did Bike for Mike,” said the Cardiff-by-the-Sea resident. “My son did his first 5K for lymphedema research two years ago. And my husband and I are biking tandem for arthritis from San Francisco to Los Angeles for the second time in September. It is important to walk the walk if you expect your children to follow in your footsteps. With this group we can participate and have family time experience as a bonus.”

Andreas invites any bakers who might be interested in volunteering with Cake4Kids to visit Cake4kids.com and sign up for an orientation.

“Right now I’m just getting off the ground, and if I make close to 100 cakes this year I’ll be very happy,” she said. “I’d like to see what we can do with the volunteers we’re able to recruit this year.”

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