Thursday, May 16th, 2013
No matter how health-conscious you are or what diet you’re on, there are times when you just can’t pass on dessert.
When it comes to Sandra Lee’s pineapple-passion-fruit cupcakes, Guy Fieri’s caramel apple bread pudding, and Buddy Valastro’s Italian butter cookies, I can’t think of a single reason to say no.
On May 1, I perused the World’s Largest Bake Sale at Grand Central Station, sampling sweets, meeting local bakers, but most importantly, learning about child hunger in America.
Sponsored by the Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, the bake sale raised both money for the cause and awareness for the more than 16 million children affected by hunger in America.
I chatted with of New York City’s best bakers and browsed their selection of champagne cupcakes, pistachio-cherry scones, and peanut-butter-strawberry-jam doughnuts. All sweets were sold for $5, the proceeds from which were put toward the campaign.
Bake sale host Sandra Lee whipped up her favorite strawberry shortcake and banana split cupcakes for the event, and spoke to me about the urgency of the child hunger epidemic.
“Some working moms are going home with one check, paying rent, and wondering how they are going to feed their kids. Sometimes they have to choose between paying bills and food,” she said. “It shouldn’t be that way in America.”
Buddy Valastro, the “Cake Boss,” said that as a baker and a father, he just had to be part of the event. He also shared with me a personal story about his family history.
“My dad grew up in Sicily and I remember him telling stories of going to bed hungry, after sharing one plate with his family,” he said. “It really puts life in perspective. This is about more than raising money, it’s about saying, ‘Hey, America, this is happening!’”
Ty Pennington, former host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, expressed a personal connection to the cause and donated a colorful, handmade bake sale stand for the Share Our Strength Auction.
“I may not have a child of my own, per se, but it is staggering to hear that one in five kids goes hungry,” he said. “It really opens your eyes about not wasting as much and makes you think about what we can do to make sure they are fed.”
The Share Our Strength Auction for No Kid Hungry runs through May 31 and features items donated by food masters like Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse. This is your chance to take a class in the Cake Boss’s kitchen, dig in to Bobby Flay’s signature Southwestern dishes, or learn to swirl icing like New York’s iconic Magnolia Bakery.
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auction, bake sale, baking, Buddy Valastro, Cake Boss, charity, child hunger, children, Family, fundraiser, Grand Central, No Kid Hungry, Sandra Lee, share our strength, Ty Pennington, World's Largest Bake Sale | Categories:
Food, GoodyBlog
Monday, April 22nd, 2013
This is a guest post from Karen Bantuveris, founder and CEO of VolunteerSpot.
This week starts National Volunteer Week (April 21-27), celebrating the good work of people doing extraordinary things through service. It’s the perfect time to let every food bank volunteer, after-school mentor, Habitat builder, community cleaner, shelter staffer, charity fundraiser, and anyone else who helps others know exactly how awesome they are and how much we appreciate them.
But what’s always surprising is the number of moms and dads who don’t consider themselves true “volunteers.” If they’re giving their time and their help to others, they most definitely are volunteers and should also be recognized.
So this week, be sure to celebrate yourself, your friends, and those in your community who make a meaningful difference to your kids and others. Recognize these wonderful do-gooders that go by the name of:
Room Parent
Coach
Scout Leader
Sunday School Teacher
Library Aide
Team Mom
Playground Monitor
Classroom Helper
Carpool Anchor
It’s also a great idea to teach our kids that they should show their appreciation for all of the good people do to make their lives and the world a better place. Whether it’s by a simple “thank you” to a coach or mentor, or by doing one of the following to recognize parent volunteers:
- Thank You Sign – Take a photo of your child (or the class or team) holding a large “Thank You!” sign and text it to parent volunteers or post it on their Facebook wall.
- Video Shout – Apps like Tout and Viddy let you take a short (15 to 30 second) video (think kids shouting “Thank You”) and post to email or social channels with a click.
- Treats – A small latte, muffin, or chocolate bar with a handwritten note of appreciation can go a long way. Let these special parents know how much you appreciate their time and talents shared with your kids.
These small tributes will show the parent volunteers in your life how much you appreciate their help throughout the year and also inspire them to continue their good deeds. For more ideas like these, check out the free eBook Volunteer Recognition From A-Z and help make this National Volunteer Week a great one for everyone.
VolunteerSpot is proud to save parents, teachers, and volunteer leaders hundreds of hours by simplifying the task of signing up, scheduling, and reminding volunteers – reducing your busy work and leaving you more time to focus on what’s important. Use VolunteerSpot to coordinate all the good work you do at school, teams, faith groups, nonprofits, and in the workplace! Take a tour today.
Image: Volunteering Hands via Shutterstock
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Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Does the drama club need money to go on a trip? Don’t sell pretzels door-to-door. Instead, sell Fair Trade chocolate, tea and coffee. Equal Exchange, an employee-owned Fair Trade organization that works with farmer co-ops from all over the world to provide organic coffee, teas, chocolate, and snacks to U.S. consumers, has expanded into homeroom.
Equal Exchange has partnered with Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit that creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn money. To create a joint fundraising effort, Ten Thousand Villages brings the handmade crafts to U.S. markets for Equal Exchange to sell.
More than 600 participating schools has participated in Fair Trade fundraising, but Equal Exchange wants students to do more than sell chocolates. They also want children to learn about and understand the world and environment around them. The organization has created a 16 unit curriculum for teachers with lessons focusing on geography (cacao plant grows in the Dominican Republic), history and community (students think about people past and present who made a difference), cooperatives (the trade-offs and rewards that come with working closely with peers), and more.
To get your school involved and to learn more about the program, visit the Equal Exchange website.
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