Baking is often an act of generosity: We bake birthday cakes, bread for a neighbor, cookies for a plate, or cookies for a school bake sale.
And for neighbors who don't have the means, time, or resources to access baked goods, the comfort and happiness of a homemade treat is magnified.
“People experiencing food insecurity need to have easy access to freshly baked goods in addition to the commercial items found in most food pantries,” says Tara Mitchell, King Arthur's Customer Experience Supervisor, who has been cooking for 10 years for her local food pantry. But food outreach centers often don't have baked goods to offer to those in need: Donations of shelf-stable, non-perishable foods, and sometimes fresh produce, are more common. But this is a challenge that can be met by home bakers with the time and resources. “It is so easy to bake for donations,” says Tara.
Donating your baked goods is a worthy cause, but one that requires a little advance planning to understand the regulations around like what, AND where.
I asked several King Arthur employee-owners who regularly donate baked goods to local organizations for their stories, as well as tips and advice for starting your own volunteer baking journey.
King Arthur Baking Company
Search for organizations in need
First, look for a local organization. Homeless shelters, churches with outreach projects, food pantries, and other social service organizations are good places to look. Call and ask about their needs: See if they accept donations and if they have any rules for home baked goods.
Cast a wide net in your community. Tara suggests looking beyond the nonprofit groups listed and recommends calling to check with your local city officials and churches. “Many community groups that provide free meals welcome donated baked goods,” she explains. “Some have not gone through the process to become an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, but are providing a great service within our communities.”
Community refrigerators and mutual aid pantries are another place to look. Grassroots programs like these are good options for places to donate, as they generally rely entirely on individual donations.
Ask how you can help
Many organizations will give you an echo yes when you offer to donate. Beyond that, it's up to you to ask—or think for yourself—how you can be more helpful. For example, baking birthday cakes for children in shelters who would otherwise not have a party of their own. That's how King Arthur Recipe Developer Molly Marzalek-Kelly got into volunteer baking, which she's been doing for four years. In 2019, it was part of a King Arthur's baking initiative in celebration of our 2019 recipe, Classic birthday cake. For a full year, the team baked a birthday cake every month and gave them away Upper Valley Haven — a local organization that provides shelter, food and assistance to those struggling with poverty — to share in their children's after-school program.
Courtesy of Molly Marzalek-Kelly
“I was really blown away by the happiness that radiated from the children's megawatt smiles,” says Molly. “The program director indicated that this cake was sometimes the first birthday cake many of these children had ever received.” Molly reached out to Haven to find out how she could continue to help, and she has been offering monthly gifts ever since.
Some organizations, especially local food pantries, may offer opportunities to bake in their kitchens, rather than leaving baked goods at home. For example, Melanie Wanders, a Research and Development Specialist at King Arthur, volunteers as a cook in the Family Kitchen at Jack Byrne Center for Palliative Care and Hospice at Dartmouth Medical Center. There, visiting family members—plus doctors and nurses—can enjoy baked goods at all hours of the day, in addition to homemade meals and snacks. “Patients' families often find their way to the kitchen from the smell of cinnamon and butter wafting through the building, where they grab a treat and enjoy a little respite from the difficult situation they're dealing with,” says Melanie.
Find the right recipe
Tara chooses items that can be easily frozen if not eaten right away: yeast bread, rolls, quick bread, individual focaccia, corn bread, and cookies are some of her favorites. “Our food pantry freezes baked goods before they're past their prime, so customers can buy from the freezer as well as off the shelf.”
Tara has favorite recipes that she sticks to, like Old Fashioned Oatmeal AND Buttery Sourdough Buns, but it also tries new ones since it ripens so often. Also consider the nutritional value; Tara usually includes whole grains in whatever she bakes. “I've also become aware that consumers can have dental problems, so I try to bake things that are soft and don't add ingredients like nuts or dried fruit,” she says. And don't be afraid to get feedback and adapt. “I check with the food pantry to see if what I donated is moving or if it needs something else.”
Molly and another King Arthur employee-owner, Kye Ameden, have carried on the birthday baking tradition for Upper Valley Haven by cooking. cupcakes every month. “The staff at The Haven let us know at the beginning of each school year if there are any dietary restrictions to be aware of, and they also provide a list of first names and birthdays so we can create each child a special cupcake topper when it's theirs. birthday,” explains Molly. If the group or organization doesn't share this information first, you can always ask!
Food photography and styling by Shilpa Iyer
When Melanie bakes at the palliative care center, she checks in with the chefs who run the kitchen. Often, they have requests – there is a use of cookies, or patients ask for something specific, like a certain muffin. “My usual rotation includes family favorites like snickerdoodles, oatmeal raisin cookies, peanut butter cookies, etc.”, reports Melanie. “Sometimes the kitchen will have ripe bananas or other fruit to use, and I turn to our website for ideas on what to make. A favorite mix is the basis of this Banana snack cake top with streusel from this Coffee Cake with Blueberry Buttons. I only have two hours from gathering ingredients to cleaning for each baking session, so it's important to have quick and easy recipes that are reliable and crowd-pleasing!”
Check for any restrictions
Before you start baking, check for any nutritional or allergy requirements, as well as any specific needs around packaging and delivery. For example, when Tara bakes for Upper Valley Haven's Grab and Go Lunch program, “items have to be prepared at home, individually wrapped and delivered in the morning,” she says.
Local organizations that accept donations will rarely have formal kitchen requirements (unlike those you have to follow when selling home-cooked meals), but still be mindful of your environment. “I am very careful when I cook or bake for others, keep a clean kitchen/work area and wear gloves when handling/packing baked goods,” explains Tara.
Even if there aren't specific guidelines about dietary needs, it's helpful to label your baked goods with any allergens that may be present (usually wheat, milk, eggs, tree nuts, coconut), even if that means simply include a note with that information. .
This is Ameden
Think about packaging
If you're cooking at home and opting out of donation, you'll need to transport your baked goods, so packaging matters. For small, hand-held items like cookies and baked goods, Tara likes to use 100% recyclable food safe paper bags, not waxed. You can easily seal the bags with a sticker or a small piece of tape.
For larger items like cakes and quick breads, ask disposable baking pans, which allow you to simply bake, cool and go. Instead of disposable pans, Tara opts for these single bread bag, which are large enough to hold a loaf of bread or a round roll pan and help prevent baked goods from drying out.
Lean into your motivation
Spending your time and skills cooking for others is an act of generosity. There are so many worthy reasons to do this: Think about what yours are to stay motivated and consistent.
For Tara, it was a way to teach others how to care for their community. “When two of my grandchildren were younger,” she explains, “they spent every Monday with me. We baked together in the morning, then sent to the food pantry in the afternoon. My grandchildren learned from a very young age about the gift of baking for others, as well as the hard truth that not everyone has enough food or even a place to prepare food.”
For Melanie, part of her decision to mature in a hospital setting was a childhood connection. “Being in the hospital reminds me of going around with my dad, who is a doctor, when I was little. While my parents live far away in Ohio, being at the Jack Byrne Center always makes me feel closer to my dad, but it also allows me to use my skills to bring someone joy, even for a moment, during a hard time.
“I encourage bakers to never forget the power of baking,” adds Melanie. “Creating, sharing, connecting and showing others that we care is something this world needs more of! Don't wait for the perfect opportunity. Start baking today and change your world one cookie, cupcake, lemon or cinnamon bun at a time.”
If you're baking cupcakes for a special birthday gift, be sure to decorate them like a pro! This one has many methods of useranging from easy to advanced to suit every skill level:
Cover photo by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Liz Neily.
