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Participant Stories
Here are some success stories from 2009 Great American Bake Sale Participants.
MOMS Club
Woodbridge, NJ
MOMS Club is a group of mothers that plan, host and organize events to benefit both mother and child. For the second year running, MOMS Club of Woodbridge, NJ participated in Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale.
Our bake sale was held on Sunday, May 31, 2009 from 9am-5pm at a local ShopRite. We formed a committee to organize all our Bake Sale plans. Special thanks to our 2009 committee: Elaine Hou, Michelle Parrinello, Michelle Ligouri, Mary Roche, Patty Vassiliades, Stacy Gibb, Winnie Trinca and Annie Greener. Club members helped out by baking a variety of homemade baked goods and volunteering their time at the bake sale tables. We were also supported by local businesses who helped by printing flyers and donating supplies. A team effort, along with support from the community, attributed to a successful and smooth day. We raised $1452.62! In addition to our bake sale, we asked our friends and family to support our bake sale efforts by making a donation online using our team web page. We raised an addition $525 online; bringing our grand total to $1977.62! All of the moms are excited to have their proceeds going to end childhood hunger in America and are looking forward to organizing this event again next year.
~ Michelle Parrinello
No Cookie Left Behind LA
Los Angeles, CA
On Sunday June 14, The No Cookie Left Behind bake sale brought baked goods and philanthropy together for the third year, raising over $3500 for Share Our Strength.
I founded No Cookie Left Behind in 2007. I had received an email from Share Our Strength, a national organization that works to ensure that no child in America grows up hungry. They bring together a network of community groups, activists, and food programs to ensure that children at risk of hunger have nutritious food where they live, learn and play. They contacted me about their Great American Bake Sale program, in which they mobilize people across the country to host their own local bake sales to benefit Share Our Strength. They wanted me to publicize the event in my food blog, All Kinds of Yum, but I decided to do them one better and host my own bake sale right here in Los Angeles. I gathered a few friends and we had to plan fast: we had a month to put it together.
From the start, the bake sale was about utilizing the resources and people in our own community. Heather, an art gallery owner, would draft a press release and send it to the list of media outlet she uses for the gallery. Ann, a member of the Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce, would get the bakeries and caterers in the chamber to donate baked goods. Jessica, a designer, would create our logo and flier. Rachel was friendly with the owner of Scoops, our favorite gelato shop in East Hollywood, so she could secure the venue. And I would contact every blogger I know to get the word out on the internet.
We've now had three successful bake sales and generated over $7000 for Share Our Strength. And every year, the goodwill that No Cookie Left Behind generates is astounding: from the volunteers that put it together to the bakers who donate their special treats; from the droves of people who come out to buy sweets and show support, to the bloggers and writers who get the word out. Several people have contacted me out of the blue wanting to contribute their own baked goods to the cause, and often when I go to pick up contributions from bakeries, the people who make them actually thank me for giving them the opportunity to contribute!
~ Tannaz Sassooni
Wilson's Share Our Strength Bake Sale
Wyandotte, MI
I am so very proud of our successful bake sale here at Wilson Middle School in Wyandotte, Michigan! I wasn't sure how everything would go, since I never did this before, so I pledged $200. I rallied my friends who love to bake, was able to persuade a couple of local stores to come on board, and several girls helped on bake sale day...and...guess what? We raised $900.00!!! I am ecstatic at the success of the bake sale and I want you to know that it was a real labor of love for me. It was a wonderful experience for all involved and I am just ecstatic that I participated in this worthy event!
~ Martha Laviolette
Pepsi Makes Huge Impact
PepsiCo FoodService Operations- Great American Bake Sale: Plano, TX; Purchase, NY; Atlanta, GA
In 2008, PepsiCo Foodservice Operations conducted the first annual “PepsiCo Foodservice Operations Great American Bake Sale”. With the help of PepsiCo associates in Plano, TX we more than doubled our fundraising goal and hopefully brought more attention to help fight this worth while cause.
In 2009, with the help of volunteers we got the word out, which lead to expanding the one bake sale to several bake sales at multiple locations. All sales were held on June 11th at 6 different PepsiCo locations (in Plano & Atlanta). In addition, we launched a full scale assault on the internet spearheaded by our location in Purchase, NY, which netted $1,015 in donations. Needless to say, the bake sales were a huge success!
I’m delighted to say in our 2nd year of participation with the Great American Bake Sale, PepsiCo associates helped raise more than $8,600. We more than doubled our goal of $3,000. Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale is a great cause that helps children in our country and communities. As a PepsiCo employee, I'm proud of what we've accomplished and I'm looking forward to bigger success in 2010.
~ Denise Gilliam
