Cake4Kids was founded in Sunnyvale, CA, in 2010 by Libby Gruender to provide free birthday cakes to foster children and at-risk youth in the San Francisco Bay Area. What started as a grassroots effort with a few volunteers has turned into quite a robust operation with hundreds of volunteers baking over 3,000 cakes per year for youth across the country!

Allie DeNicuolo, who officially opened the Washington, D.C., chapter of Cake4Kids this month, is a self-taught baker. She started baking as a hobby four years ago and over the past year and a half has taken her skills to the next level, spending many hours practicing techniques learned through Instagram and YouTube.

The most fulfilling part of baking for Allie is “delivering happiness” in the form of something homemade and the reward that comes with seeing the smile on the recipient’s face.  Baking can bring such positive feelings in a time when we are bombarded with negative news.

Eight months ago, Allie responded to an ad for volunteers in Virginia to join Cake4Kids. She joined as a volunteer to make cakes for the agency to distribute to kids. For privacy reasons, volunteers don’t get to meet the children they bake for, however, Allie got feedback from the organizer for one of the first cakes she made. The cake had been delivered to a boy on his 8^th birthday. He was very excited as it was his first birthday cake ever! It meant so much to Allie that just by doing something she loved she was able to really impact the life of a child, giving this little boy a bright spot amid his rough circumstances. Something so simple made him so happy!

It was clear to Allie the impact the organization has on the lives of these children, so she decided to get more involved. Fast forward to a few months later and Allie is officially opening the Washington D.C. chapter of the organization. The vulnerable children that receive these cakes are not just in big cities like D.C. “We tend to forget what is happening out in the rest of the world. No matter where you live, there is 100% a need in any area that has children in it. All we need is a volunteer who is looking to launch it. The Cake4Kids organization makes the rest of the process seamless and easy.”

Cake4Kids volunteers do not need to be professional or highly experienced bakers! Cake4Kids is also a great opportunity for those who are looking to expand on their baking skills and deliver something meaningful and delicious. As long as it’s baked with love, that is far more important than your ability to decorate!