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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Link to full article

Non-Profit Bakes for Children Who Have Never Had Birthday Cakes

By Christina Tetreault
July 7, 2017 7:16 p.m. PDT (Updated: July 7, 2017 7:16 p.m. PDT)

4-year-olds Aubree and Asia may have never heard the their names in the song “Happy Birthday,” or have never taken a big bite of their own brightly colored personalized birthday cake, but now they have.

Ballerina theme for Asia, and Minnie Mouse for Aubree.

All made possible by Cake4Kids, a San Francisco based non-profit’s new Fresno chapter. Cake4Kids provides personalized birthday cakes for children in the foster care system and adoption process. Fresno’s Cake4Kids Ambassador and Baker Megan Mitsuoka pours her heart into each cake.

 “Honestly it’s all about the kids. You want to make them feel special,” she said.

Mitsuoka said Cake4Kids gives foster care and newly adopted children something that’s easily taken for granted by others.

 “A really great way to make the kids feel special on their birthday. It let’s them know someone out there is thinking of them on their special day,” she said.

 In just five months they have provided over 50 cakes to local foster care children in the Central Valley.

NorthStar Family Center CEO Mary Dela Torre said a simple something sweet helps ease kids into their new life.

 “It’s like ‘oh wow, I am really special today.’ It takes them out of that foster child world sets them in a real normal life,” she said.

For Aubree and Asia, the day they were given their cakes was all about them celebrating a new year and new families.

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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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Some Kids Never Had a Birthday Cake. These Volunteer Bakers are Changing That

If the video above doesn’t work, you can watch the segment here.

The Fresno Bee
By Carmen George
May 02, 2017 11:30 am

Carla Morales-Mendoza is all smiles and giggles as a lavishly and lovingly decorated cake is placed on a table in front of her as friends, family members and social workers sing “Happy Birthday” and cut her a slice of the pink and white dessert prepared for her sixth birthday.

As she bites through handmade frosting and fluffy white cake, adults ask her how it tastes. “Yummmmm!” is the sweet and simple reply.

Carla says that the cake – decorated with an image of ballet slippers, at her request – makes her feel “happy.”

The 6-year-old is in the foster care system with three younger siblings, who also shared in the cake that was baked and delivered to her birthday party at North Star Family Center earlier last month by Megan Mitsuoka, a volunteer with Cake4Kids. The group enlists volunteers who bake cakes for underprivileged children, with a focus on those in the foster care system and victims of homelessness and abuse, including human trafficking.

“You meet kids – age 12, 13, 14 – that say, ‘I’ve never had a birthday party. I’ve never had a birthday cake,’ ” says Adrian Jones, Carla’s social worker at North Star.

The intricate cakes are personalized for each child, featuring decorations such as butterflies, guitars, Pokémon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Cake4Kids recently expanded into the Fresno area. Since late February, 17 cakes have been delivered to children in Fresno at North Star and Transitions Children’s Services, both foster care agencies, and the Marjaree Mason Center, a shelter that cares for victims of domestic abuse and homelessness.

Cake4Kids is eager to grow its team of volunteers in the Fresno area – 13 people, so far. Mitsuoka was the first. The accountant-by-day was eager to put her passion for baking to better use and help children in need. She reached out to Cake4Kids and was instrumental in bringing the group to the area.

She wants the children receiving her cakes to know that “there’s people out there that care about them.”

“That’s the big thing, really,” Mitsuoka says of Cake4Kids. “To let these kids know that they’re special.”

That’s also what motivates Julie Eades, executive director of Cake4Kids.

“We want every child to feel celebrated, at least this one day of the year, and remember they are special, whatever the circumstance they find themselves in,” Eades says.

The generosity of volunteer bakers is also touching the hearts of adults.

“There is love in this world,” says Mary Dela Torre, CEO of North Star Family Center. “There is a lot of hope, because people come together and help kids that really, really need it.”

Cake4Kids was started in the Bay Area in 2010 by a woman named Libby Gruender who was inspired by an article she read about a foster child receiving a birthday cake for the first time. Since then, hundreds of volunteers have baked more than 7,800 cakes for children at 94 organizations in eight California counties.

Jones hopes Cake4Kids inspires people to do even more to help children in need.

“It’s a wonderful concept. I’d like to see it catch on in other industries – we could do shoes for kids and coats for kids and everything else,” Jones says. “If every industry decides to help foster children, that would be fantastic.”

Eades is excited that Cake4Kids is helping children in Fresno.

“These birthday cakes may seem like a simple gift,” Eades says, “but for a child who has to keep moving from home to home with nothing but a plastic bag to haul his or her belongings around in, or a child in a shelter with their mom who is trying to get over domestic violence, it’s a symbol of hope and trust.”

Carla Morales-Mendoza, 6, delights at seeing her birthday cake, topped with ballerina shoes, made by Cake4Kids ambassador Megan Mitsuoka for her party at the North Star Family Center. JOHN WALKER JWALKER@FRESNOBEE.COM

Asia Medina, 3, center, and Allyia Hensinger, 3, right, friends of Carla Morales-Mendoza, dig into Carla’s cake at her sixth birthday party, held at the North Star Family Center. JOHN WALKER JWALKER@FRESNOBEE.COM

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2016 Sharks and Strikes Event

San Jose Sharks
December 14, 2016 3:09 p.m.

The Sharks Foundation hosts their annual bowling event with the players, coaches, and broadcasters

If the video above doesn’t work, you can watch the segment here.

Non Profit Bakes Thousands Of Cakes For At-Risk Children (Radio Interview)

August 8, 2016

Bakers volunteer for the nonprofit organization Cake4Kids, which was started by Libby Gruender in Sunnyvale in 2010. Gruender died in 2013, but the small organization she founded now includes about 400 home bakers, who this year are expected to frost 2,000 birthday cakes for children who otherwise wouldn't be blowing out any candles.

If the audio above doesn’t work, you can listen to the segment here.

Uplifting Stories – A Girl’s Birthday With No Cake

Birthdays should always accompanied by cake, right?! It’s something so many of us take for granted…

Foodheavenmag.com
July 27, 2016
This article was sourced from NBC News

This is an uplifting story of Mother, Elaine Karpen and her Daughter, Samantha recently baked a Mine-craft themed cake which was prepared using the kitchen of a Los Altos community centre. The cake was not only fun and colourful but was baked with a lot of kindness too.

The girl they made the cake for was one they had never met. This girl would be very unlikely to receive a cake on her birthday were it not for this loving pair. Mother, Elaine, explained that when she was young someone did a similar thing for her when family times were turbulent. Even after 32 years she remembers that compassionate gesture.

The wonderful thing about this story is that its not all that uncommon, many children like this girl, like Karpen get a birthday cake from minds and hearts alike.

“I suspect we’ll end up this year at about 2,200-2,300 cakes,” explains Julie Eades, Executive Director of Cake4Kids. “Our mission is to bake a custom birthday cake for a child. That’s it.”

Cake4Kids was born in 2010 and founded by Libby Gruender (who sadly passed away in 2013). Cakes4Kids partners with social service agencies in America to discover who, for financial, social, or domestic reasons, will perhaps not have anyone to buy or bake them a cake for their birthday.

Julie Eades explained a situation they came across last year; “We had a youth last year who was 20. He’d never ever had a birthday cake…He couldn’t believe the cake was for him because he’d never had a cake for himself.”

This incredible non-profit company have a database of over 600 volunteer bakers who are up for making a cake for a vulnerable child’s birthday and it’s always a memorable one at that! The child is part anonymous for privacy reasons, the baker will only ever know their first name and they don’t meet the child or are present when the child sees the cake.

Even with this safety barrier the uplifting truth is that children often send thank you cards which are always sent on to the baker themselves.

With Elaine Karpen’s cake, their was an exception in this case. She delivered her cake to Jayla, an 8 year old girl who loves Mine-craft! “It was great to see Jayla’s smile,” Karpen says.

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A Birthday With No Cake? Non Profit Bakes Thousands Of Cakes For At-Risk Children Who Might Otherwise Not Have One

By Garvin Thomas
July 21, 2016 (Updated January 12, 2018 12:18 am)

If the video above doesn’t work, you can watch the segment here.

The best birthday cakes are a magical combination of food, color, and fun. The pink and purple, Minecraft-themed cake that Elaine Karpen and her daughter, Samantha, recently prepared using the kitchen of a Los Altos community center was all of those things. It also had a whole lot of kindness baked into it as well.

That's because the girl Karpen was making the cake for, is one she doesn't know. A girl who would likely not have a cake on her birthday were it not for the one. Karpen said a stranger did the same thing for her when she was young and times were tough for her family.

"32 years later I still remember that cake," Karpen said.

As great as all that is, though, perhaps the best thing about the cake she and her daughter baked is that it's not the only one like it. Far from it.

"I suspect we'll end up this year at about 2,200-2,300 cakes," said Julie Eades, Executive Director of Cake4Kids. "Our mission is to bake a custom birthday cake for a child. That's it."

Started in 2010 by Libby Gruender (who passed away in 2013), Cakes4Kids partners with social service agencies around the Bay Area to identify young clients who, for financial, social, or domestic reasons, might not have anyone who can bake or buy a cake for their birthday.

"We had a youth last year who was 20. He'd never ever had a birthday cake," Eades said. "He couldn't believe the came was for him because he'd never had a cake for himself."

The non-profit now has a database of more than 600 volunteer bakers willing to make a needy child's birthday a memorable one. Because of privacy issues, though, the bakers never know more than the child's first name and are never around when the child sees and eats their cake.

Eades says, however, they do get many, touching thank you cards from children. Those are always forwarded on to the baker.

With Karpen's cake, however, an exception was made.

She was able to deliver her cake to Jayla, the young Minecraft-loving 8-year-old who requested it.

"I was great to see Jayla's smile," Karpen says. "It makes all the work worthwhile."

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Nonprofit Believes Every Child Deserves a Birthday Cake

Twenty-three bakers entered last month's Cake-Off4Kids in Danville, and the cakes volunteers make for children in crisis are just as amazing. (Photo courtesy of Cake4Kids)

Cake4Kids executive director Julie Eades (center) speaking with participants at the nonprofit's first-ever Cake-Off4Kids in the East Bay, held at the Danville Community Center. (Photo courtesy of Cake4Kids)

Twenty-three bakers entered last month's Cake-Off4Kids in Danville, and the cakes volunteers make for children in crisis are just as amazing. (Photo courtesy of Cake4Kids)

Twenty-three bakers entered last month's Cake-Off4Kids in Danville, and the cakes volunteers make for children in crisis are just as amazing. (Photo courtesy of Cake4Kids)

Twenty-three bakers entered last month's Cake-Off4Kids in Danville, and the cakes volunteers make for children in crisis are just as amazing. (Photo courtesy of Cake4Kids)

Twenty-three bakers entered last month's Cake-Off4Kids in Danville, and the cakes volunteers make for children in crisis are just as amazing. (Photo courtesy of Cake4Kids)

Cake4Kids volunteers bake 1,800 cakes a year -- with love

Danville-San Ramon
By Dolores Fox Ciardelli
July 14, 2016 3:15 pm

The foster mom did what came naturally when her new child had a birthday: She baked her a chocolate cake.

When the girl came home from school and saw the cake, she burst into tears. The foster mom said she was sorry for upsetting her and explained she'd meant to make her happy. She offered to bake a different cake, if the girl didn't like chocolate.

"It's not that," she replied. "I've just never had a birthday cake."

Libby Gruender of Sunnyvale read about that incident in 2010 and pledged to provide birthday cakes for children in foster care so they would each feel loved on their special day. She founded Cake4Kids to carry out the mission.

Gruender died in 2013 but her commitment lives on, and Cake4Kids has expanded. Today 400 volunteer bakers across the Bay Area, including more than 30 in the San Ramon Valley, produce 1,800 cakes a year working with more than 65 agencies.

"Now we also deal with low income, homeless shelters, domestic violence agencies, human trafficking agencies," executive director Julie Eades said. "We help mothers who are getting back on their feet -- a lot of people are looking after the mothers, and the children kind of get on with their lives."

"These kids often live in hand-me-downs, they often don't get anything of their own," she said. "Some are moved from group home to group home, and birthday cakes are not considered an essential of life."

Cake4Kids recently provided the first birthday cake for a 20-year-old man who had spent his life in group homes.

"It is like a moment in time when people sing to you in front of your cake," Eades said.

"The cakes are all home-baked," she added. "When someone bakes a cake for another person, it is baked with a certain amount of love."

Of course, with so many cakes there are bound to be a few emergencies -- such as a dropped cake -- when someone has to dash into a bakery, she added with a laugh.

"We have all sorts of cake dramas," she noted.

Each cake has the child's name on it and is created according to his or her tastes or interests. A child might make a request, or a social worker will come up with an idea to personalize it.

"It helps with their self-esteem," Eades said. "Some ask for cupcakes and they take some to school to share."

Some of the bakers have nut-free kitchens so they take the requests from those dealing with allergies.

"A lot of our bakers get a lot of joy out of this," Eades said. "It is wonderful to combine people who love to bake with children."

Danville has 25 volunteer bakers, San Ramon has eight and Pleasanton has 20, according to the last report, in February.

"We are always looking for baker volunteers in Alameda and Contra Costa," Eades said. "You have to be at least 16." Visit the Cake4Kids website for more information.

"If there are any companies in the Tri-Valley area that encourage their employees to volunteer and have volunteer days or would like to host us on-site to talk about what we do, we'd love to do that," she added.

"The bakers never get to see the children. The agency gets the cake to the child," Eades said. "Sometimes these case workers don't always have the easiest relationships with the children -- they have been moved around and disappointed in life. I have heard stories where a social worker says she now has such a better relationship with a child."

The group works as far south as Gilroy. It opened in San Francisco last summer, just started in Marin County and has been requested in Solano County -- and in Fresno. The core group is developing software to help others get started.

"We might branch out and do chapters in the rest of California, and if that works out, we might take it to other states," Eades said.

Cake4Kids is mostly a volunteer organization but pays two part-time office staff members. It holds fundraisers to cover expenses, including an annual Cake-Off in the South Bay. Last month it held the first Cake-Off4Kids in the East Bay, at the Danville Community Center.

The Cake-Off had three categories: Best tasting, best decorated and best cake by someone under 15. The 23 contestants also brought a second cake, which they cut up and offered to the attendees. The fundraiser drew 115, with adults paying $30 to attend; children were $15. There was also a silent auction.

"With this first event, we just wanted to cover our costs but we did make some money," Eades said. "It was a fun family thing, only over a couple of hours. We also had a kids' activity area. We intend to be back next year for another one."

A fundraising Cake4Kids Celebration Dinner on Oct. 27 in Palo Alto will have a three-course dinner, wine, drawings and a live auction. Tickets are $150. Information will soon be published at Cake4Kids.org.

The group is funded mainly by donations from individuals, Eades said, and a lot of people find it on the internet.

"A woman whose mother had died contacted us," she said. "Her mother had been a foster child way back when, and she was looking to do something in lieu of flowers and said they'd like donations to go to our organization."

The entries at the Cake-Off4Kids were amazing, Eades said, but so are all the cakes made by the volunteer bakers.

She recalled a 12-year-old boy last year living in a shelter with his mother who worked three jobs to afford the rent. She asked the social worker for a "Frank Sinatra cake" because the boy's grandfather, who had died, used to play Sinatra records for him.

"One of our bakers picked up the request, put on a picture of Frank Sinatra, the boy's name, and the words, 'May you live to be 100,'" Eades remembered. "He said, 'I cried when I opened the box.' He thought it was the best thing ever."

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Cake4Kids: Volunteer bakers spread joy with birthday cakes for kids in need

Paula Dewberry, of Walnut Creek, an East Bay volunteer with Cake4Kids, dropped off this homemade birthday cake she prepared for one of the young clients at the Monument Crisis Center in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, May 26, 2016. (Susan Tripp Pollard/Bay Area News Group)

Monument Crisis Center executive director Sandra Scherer, left, meets Paula Dewberry, of Walnut Creek, an East Bay volunteer who just dropped off a homemade birthday cake she prepared for one of the young clients at the center in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Dewberry is a volunteer with Cake4Kids, a nonprofit organization whose volunteers bake and deliver birthday cakes for foster children and at risk youth. (Susan Tripp Pollard/Bay Area News Group)

East Bay Times
By Beth Jensen
May 27, 2016 3:41 p.m. (Updated: August 15, 2016 9:15 a.m.)

DANVILLE — Each month around the Bay Area, scores of home bakers rev up their mixers and take up their spatulas to whip up a little something special — birthday cakes for children they’ll never meet.

Each confection is a custom order, happily decorated with dinosaurs, ponies, superheroes, Justin Bieber’s face — whatever the recipient loves. Each creation will be a rare personal treat for an underprivileged child. For some, it will be his or her first birthday cake ever.

The bakers are all volunteers for the nonprofit organization Cake4Kids, which was started by Libby Gruender in Sunnyvale in 2010. Gruender died in 2013, but the small organization she founded now includes about 400 home bakers, who this year are expected to frost 2,000 birthday cakes for children who otherwise wouldn’t be blowing out any candles.

In past years, the organization has held an annual Cake-Off contest in Santa Clara County to honor bakers and raise funds. But now, with about half its volunteers based in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, the organization is having its first Cake-Off in the East Bay on June 11 in Danville.

There’s no shortage of need when it comes to birthday cakes, said the group’s executive director, Julie Eades.

“When we started, we primarily targeted foster care organizations and group homes,” she said. “We’ve since taken that a little further … We work with any agency with children who are underprivileged, such as domestic violence agencies. Sadly, we also work with some human trafficking agencies.”

Cake recipients are selected by local assistance groups from their client lists and range in age from toddlers to young adults coming out of the foster care system. All belong to families whose budgets can’t stretch far enough to provide a birthday treat.

“A lot of these people are living hand to mouth,” she said. “This area of incredible wealth is creating some of the worst poverty you can imagine … Most of these children are looked after by people paid to look after them, are moved from place to place, have hand-me-down clothes and never buy something for themselves. They live on the generosity of people around them.

“We had one youth in one of the agencies who had his very first birthday cake at the age of 20,” she added. “He couldn’t believe someone had baked a cake for him.”

Monument Crisis Center in Concord provides a range of services for about 10,000 low-income clients throughout Contra Costa County. At least 35 to 40 percent of those are children, said Executive Director Sandra Scherer. The agency receives about 10 cakes a month from Cake4Kids bakers.

“If you’re living on a budget, like most of our families, the average family of four has $300 left for the month after paying rent,” Scherer said. “That $300 is for transportation, clothing, shoes, utility bills and buying food … Things like birthdays are luxuries. It’s not that the families don’t want to provide for the kids.”

With a budget that tight, even buying the eggs and oil needed to make a boxed cake mix becomes prohibitive, Scherer said.

“A lot of our kids have never had a cake, never had a birthday party,” she said. “The family wouldn’t have the means to do it.”

Children chosen to receive cakes request a flavor and a theme. Bakers, who must maintain high quality standards, incorporate those requests into the cake, photograph the finished product and deliver the birthday treat, packaged in a professional bakery box, to the agency. The cakes are either picked up by a parent or delivered to the home by a case worker.

Requests run the gamut; Monument Crisis Center recently received a multicolor butterfly-themed cake, as well as one covered with pink and lilac zebra stripes.

“One year, we had a request for a girl on a painted horse throwing a football,” Eades recalled with a laugh. “One kid wanted a picture of Frank Sinatra on his cake; his old Italian grandfather had (shared) a record with him.”

Paula Dewberry, of Walnut Creek, is a passionate baker and first-time Cake4Kids volunteer. Her first assignment came from a girl asking for a vanilla cake featuring the cartoon character Peppa Pig. Dewberry already is planning how she’ll create the pink piggy face, complete with white chocolate eyes.

“I love to bake and so do both of my daughters, one of whom is 18 and the other 15 and a half,” she said. “I’m the official volunteer, but they’ll assist me whenever possible.”

“I could see myself doing one a month,” she said.

Receiving their own birthday cake helps children in difficult circumstances feel both special and normal, and it gives great pleasure to each home baker who volunteers, Eades said.

“We want (the bakers) to have real pleasure doing what they do, so it comes through in the cake,” she said. “We want the love baked into the cake.”

IF YOU GO

Cake4Kids Cake-Off will be held 3 to 5 p.m. June 11 at the Danville Community Center, 420 Front St. About 30 bakers will compete for cash prizes. Tickets, at $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 7-14, include unlimited cake tastings, refreshments, children’s activities and a silent auction featuring items such as wine, Giants tickets and a cabin rental at Donner Lake. Children under age 7 are free. For more information on participating in the event, obtaining tickets or becoming a Cake4Kids baker, go to www.cake4kids.org.

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Cake Design Contest Benefits a Sweet Cause

Baker Dana Slomich’s “Frozen” creation is seen here at a previous Cake-Off4Kids Competition (Photo courtesy Kelly Huang Photography/2014)

The Mercury News
May 10, 2016 12:04 p.m. (Updated: September 22, 2016 10:53 p.m.)

Amateur cake designers are invited to participate in a contest that tests their baking and creativity for a sweet cause.

Cake4Kids bakes and delivers birthday cakes to foster children and at risk youth, who wouldn’t otherwise have a birthday celebration.

To reward volunteers and raise awareness, the organization every year hosts a cake contest, which is open to Cake4Kids volunteers and the general public. Professional bakers do not participate.

This will be the organization’s sixth contest. The South Bay Cake-Off4Kids is set for May 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Quinlan Community Center, 10185 N. Stelling Road in Cupertino.

Bakers can choose to enter various categories and the winners receive a cash prize. The event features refreshments, kids’ activities, a silent auction and unlimited cake tasting of all entered cakes.

The entry fee for bakers is $15. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for children ages 7-14 and free for those under age 7.

Since its inception in 2010, Cake4Kids has expanded to six counties, baked and delivered nearly 5,000 cakes, donated more than 15,000 hours and used more than 9,000 pounds of sugar, according to the organization’s website.

To register for the CakeOff, visit cake4kids.org/events

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The Intero Foundation Awards $5,000 to Cake4Kids

The Intero Foundation Awards $47,500 to Local Children-Focused Organizations in April

May 10, 2016 10:00 am

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Intero Foundation, a non-profit devoted to helping children in need, announced their latest round of funding supported by Intero’s offices in Los Gatos, San Jose (Willow Glen) and Saratoga. The Foundation donated $47,500 to local nonprofits that support low-income and disadvantaged youth. Since its inception, the Foundation, which is funded, promoted and governed by Intero Real Estate’s agents and employees, has raised more than $4.5 million.

“When we started Intero, we knew supporting our communities had to be a key core value of our company,” said Tom Tognoli, Intero President & CEO. “But 14 years later, I’m still amazed by the generosity and giving nature of our agents and employees every time we distribute these grants.”

Recipients of the April grants include:

1. Sacred Heart Nativity School (SHNS): The school was awarded $7,500 to purchase educational technology software focusing on language that adapts to a student’s level of learning. SHNS is the only free college prep school in the Bay Area and currently serves 127 low-income students.

2. InnVision Shelter Network: The organization received $6,000 to purchase materials for its Summer Adventure Camp. The six-week camp serves 100 homeless children ranging in age from 5-14.

3. Breakthrough Silicon Valley: The nonprofit received $5,000, which will be used to support an afterschool program that helps get college-bound students through the college admission process.

4. Shop with a Cop: The nonprofit was awarded $7,000 to support a Target shopping spree for children ages 5-12 that will be accompanied by a uniformed police officer. The program, which serves children who have experienced the loss of a parent through a violent crime or domestic violence, teams children with officers to give them a positive perspective of law enforcement.

5. Far West Wheelchair Athletic Association: The nonprofit received $6,000 to support a 7-day junior sport camp for 30 kids ranging in age from 5-21. The camp teaches the kids adaptive sports and life skills.

6. Cake4Kids: The nonprofit received $5,000 to purchase software to help coordinate and expand volunteers who bake and deliver customized birthday cakes for homeless and foster kids.

7. Jose Valdes Math Foundation: The nonprofit received $6,000 to support math tutoring on a college campus for kids who are 3 years behind in their math skills.

8. Animal Assisted Happiness: The nonprofit received $5,000 for the Barnyard Friends to bring therapeutic animals onsite to organizations that support disabled and autistic children.

To find out more about the Intero Foundation, visit us at interofoundation.org.

About the Intero Foundation:

Funded, promoted and governed by Intero agents and employees, the Intero Foundation is a non–profit organization guided by the principle that one must give in order to receive, and is committed to helping children in need. Since its inception in 2002, the organization has raised more than $4 million and has supported over 150 charities that positively impact the growth and well-being of children in need.

About the Intero® Brand:

Intero Real Estate Services, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America Inc, serves Northern California with 16 offices throughout the greater Silicon Valley. The Intero Franchise network is comprised of nearly 50 affiliates located in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas. The company is headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley.

Find more information about Intero at www.interorealestate.com. Find more information about HomeServices at www.homeservices.com.

Contacts

Intero Real Estate Services
Teressa Francis, 408-342-3010
tfrancis@interorealestate.com

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LAHS Student's Cakes Support Foster Youth

Riley Fujioka of Los Altos High School bakes cakes for foster youth through the nonprofit agency Cake4Kids. (Photo courtesy of Apala Egan)

Los Altos Town Crier
By Apala Egan
June 10, 2015

Riley Fujioka, a member of the National Charity League’s Stanford Hills Chapter, has a sweet mission.

A sophomore at Los Altos High School, Fujioka has made it her goal to serve children, including those in foster care, at risk or without shelter. Many lack basic necessities and parental love and support.

To fill the gap, Fujioka volunteers with Cake4Kids, a Bay Area nonprofit that provides free birthday cakes for children who might not otherwise have them. Fujioka and her mother create cakes based on the child’s personal tastes.

“I want them to know that I spent time on it and not just threw things together,” said Fujioka, who has received the National Charity League’s Presidential Service, Gold Level and Merci awards for her volunteer efforts. “We want to make sure they realize that we know that their birthday is special and that someone cares for them. Mom and I spend time together figuring out how to make a cake special for children.”

According to Fujioka, after receiving a custom cake, the boost to a child’s self-esteem is immeasurable. She said the recipients of her cakes are typically 2- to 6-year-olds, but recently she and her mom baked a cake for an 18-year-old. Cake4Kids operates on a policy of strict confidentiality – volunteer bakers are only given the first names to write on the cakes.

Serving youth is an ongoing passion for Fujioka. She has also volunteered at Abilities United’s Summer’s Excellent Adventures Camp.

“It is hard to know that they have a disability until you talk to them,” she said of her time with Abilities United.

Fujioka said she hopes to major in psychology in college so that she can help children with disabilities.

“I would like to help them lead normal lives,” she said.

In addition to being an outstanding student, Fujioka is a star athlete and longtime member of the Stanford Diving Club.

For more information on Cake4Kids, visit cake4kids.org.

For more information on the National Charity League, visit stanfordhillsncl.org.

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Cake-Off4Kids Baking Contest to Raise Money for Sunnyvale-based Nonprofit

Jordan Houck, then 7, holds "Peaches the Penguin," the inspiration behind her chocolate cake filled with chocolate chip cookie dough. Jordan placed second in the "Kids" category at the 3rd Annual Cake-Off4Kids Competition last September. This year's competition will be held on September 13 at the Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale. (photo Jacqueline Ramseyer/SVCN/September 14, 2013)

Plates of Sunnyvale resident Charlene Tufts' chocolate raspberry cake, entered in the "Ultimate Chocolate" category, wait to be sampled by the judges and public in the 3rd Annual Cake-Off4Kids Competition last September. This year's competition will be held on September 13 at the Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale. (photo Jacqueline Ramseyer/SVCN/September 14, 2013)

The Mercury News
By Alia Wilson
August 27, 2014 12:08 p.m. (Updated: August 12, 2016 6:41 a.m.)

You don’t have to tune in to TLC’s “Next Great Baker” to see inspiring pastry creations.

From “Despicable Me” characters to fondant Crown Jewels, edible masterpieces will be on display–and ready to taste–at the annual Cake-Off4Kids baking contest and fundraiser, where a variety of Silicon Valley bakers showcase their talents.

The fourth annual event will be held on Sept. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale for one evening of sweet fun.

The event benefits local nonprofit Cake4Kids. Since 2010, the volunteer-run, Sunnyvale-based nonprofit has been making foster kids and at-risk youth free personalized birthday cakes on a day that might otherwise go unnoticed.

There will be 50 cake entries in five different baking categories, and the grand prize winners will receive a $100 cash prize. The categories are best decorated, made by kids, best tasting, ultimate chocolate and creative cupcakes.

This is the first year that the event will be put on without its founder, the late Libby Gruender.

Gruender started Cake4Kids in 2010 as a grassroots effort to help children in her community, after reading an article about a foster child who had never had a birthday cake. She died of cancer while under hospice care in her Sunnyvale home on Jan. 3, 2013. She was 52.

Last year Cake4Kids’ volunteers delivered 1,000 birthday cakes, spanning the San Francisco Bay Area. This time last year, the nonprofit was serving 20 agencies, but has increased the number to 29 in the past 12 months.

Volunteers will be continuing Gruender’s tradition of naming a volunteer of the year, only this year a plaque has been created for the winners.

“We are excited to have her husband, John Groat, and their sons, who will be present to help bestow the grand prize awards to our winners,” said Trish O’Dwyer, Cake4Kids program director of operations. “It’s been a way to involve him and the children, and it also remembers Libby. Lots of volunteers don’t even know Libby; they never met her. But, if anything, this will cause them to ask about her and that’s enough.”

Those not participating in the contest can purchase tickets to sample the cakes on display, enjoy a buffet dinner provided by Mio Vicino and participate in a silent auction.

This year’s auction items include memorabilia from the Golden State Warriors, a weekend at a private retreat in Tahoe, tickets to Six Flags theme park, numerous restaurant gift certificates and museum tickets.

Only 250 tickets will be sold to the public. Ticket prices are $25 if purchased before Aug. 31, and $30 after. Tickets are $15 for children ages 7-14. Children under 7 are free.

The fee to enter the contest as a baker is $15.

There will also be a cash bar with wine and cocktails.

The Domain Hotel is located at 1085 E. El Camino Real in Sunnyvale.

For more information visit cake4kids.org.

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Amateur Bakers Compete In Cake-Off4Kids

The Silicon Valley Voice
By Cynthia Cheng
October 2, 2013 12:00 am

On September 14 at the Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale, about 50 bakers put their best cake forward at Cake-Off4Kids, a baking competition benefiting Cake4Kids. The non-profit organization matches volunteer bakers up with underserved and foster youth to donate birthday cakes.

After guests dined on food provided by Santa Clara’s Mio Vicino, they headed upstairs to the cake tasting room. The tasting room separated bakers by five categories: best decorated, best tasting, ultimate chocolate, creative cupcakes, and “made by kids.” Guests collected cake samples in white muffin cups and mingled with the bakers.

“I saw a cake like this online,” says Jen Doyle, 13, of an iPad cake she made with fondant featuring icons of commonly used apps. “This is a vanilla cake with strawberries and whipped cream.”

Clark Koskela, 12, made an allergen-free spice cake with coconut glaze. The cake contained no gluten, dairy, egg, soy, or cane sugar, ingredients Koskela is allergic to.

“I’ve made a lot of spice cakes and it’s the cake I have the most experience with,” Koskela says. “[For the spices], I added some cinnamon and ginger.”

“This is a mango cake and I used fondant to decorate; the intricate damask motif, this stencil pattern, was done with buttercream,” says Kshama Swamy, who won first prize and $100 for the best decorated cake. “I am a self-taught baker. I learn by watching YouTube videos.”

Cake-off guests also learned about Cake4Kids and recognized its volunteers. Winning the Volunteer of the Year award was Claire Campodonico, who baked 75 cakes for children in the last three years.

“We do 80 cakes a month. We serve the South Bay and East Bay combined, and we have 275 volunteers,” says Debbie Tryforos, a resident of Santa Clara who serves as an agency liaison and volunteer coordinator for Cake4Kids. “Some of the children we serve have never had a birthday cake. Just knowing someone cared enough to make a cake for them, with their names put on, is important.”

“You don’t want a kid’s birthday to be forgotten,” adds Kate Krummel, also a resident of Santa Clara and an event planner for Cake4Kids. “The people I drop off the cakes to are always super appreciative.”

“This cake-off pulls together the community of amateur bakers starting from age five and onward,” says Melanie Gill, executive director of Cake4Kids. “The money [we raise tonight] goes toward running our organization and other programs.”

Email info@cake4kids.org for information about being a volunteer.

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