CHARITY CUPCAKE DRIVE HISTORY

I developed the idea of a charity cupcake drive in 2006 when read a book called ‘Mixed Blessings”, by an incredible woman called Deborah Lee. Deborah does some amazing work with Foster children among other charities she supports. She mentions in her book that at Christmas time she likes to make hampers for those in need, she had come to realize that although charities dispensed hot meals and the necessities there was very little in the way of treats or nice things, such as shampoo or sweets. Deborah makes a point in her book that it is not only important to look after peoples physical well being but also their mental well being if you want to make a real difference in people lives. I instantly thought about the homeless in Sydney and how Planet Cake could give something back to them, a cupcake on Christmas Eve is certainly not life changing but maybe generate a smile on what is for some a very painful time of year.

The first Charity Cupcake Drive in 2006 was an add hock affair (see top photo) together with some volunteers and Planet Cake staff we attempted and succeeded in making 1000 cupcakes and gingerbread. I was completely overwhelmed by the interest from the general public and in 2007 we made over 2000 cupcakes. These cupcakes go to Christmas eve dinners for the homeless, to women’s refugees which sadly are fairly well attended by women and their children during the holiday period, to halfway houses and homeless shelters, the cupcakes are split up and are distributed all over Sydney, in 2007 many were distributed to Sydney’s western suburbs. To distribute our cupcakes we have always teamed up with our wonderful partners Oz Harvest http://www.ozharvest.org.au/ a wonderful charity in their own right.