As a baker, I love bringing joy to people with my baked goods. Seeing the smiles that my baked goods bring to people’s faces is my biggest motivation. My husband, who has a very strong background in business and finance, always tells me my business is not profitable…ouch! (It’s tough love! Plus this is why I do this as my side business. haha) Yet I know how important it is to give back to our community. Giving back is what makes me happy, so I started this project in 2021, and it became my annual community project.
Here is what I do & how I started this project.
Every year during Halloween season, we are fortunate to buy a ton of candies. Our children come home with so many sweets that we can’t even finish. Then I thought “What about the children who don’t get to go trick-or-treating?” Kids love Halloween. They get to dress up and eat countless amounts of candies…yet there are so many children who cannot get these experiences because of their circumstances.
That’s when I decided to donate DIY cookie kits to shelters, to sweeten everyone’s life a little bit more.
As corny as it might sound, most of us have been through times when we needed extra light in life. I wish to bring a light to people’s life through baking.
Visiting shelters was an eye-opening and very humbling experience. I visited 3 shelters and donated about 60 DIY kits in 2021. The feedback was overwhelming, and it made me want to do more. In 2022 I have added two more organizations and donated 150 kits.
Here is a list of amazing shelters and organizations I have worked with:
-Precious Life Shelter
-Pathways of Hope
-Casa Teresa
-Precious Lamb Preschool
I’m thankful for those organizations for doing amazing work with children and women. Also, a huge thanks to generous individual donors who donated on this project, and All Saints Anglican Church in Long Beach for their tremendous contributions to this project in 2022. I couldn’t have done this project without your help!! Thank you!!!
I truly hope I can keep expanding this project with everyone’s help.
If you are interested in being involved with this project, please contact me any time. I usually kick-off this project in October or November, and I need help in baking cookies, making icings and assembling kits! I am always open to connecting with other amazing organizations as well.
Artsy Bakes by Mana 