Bake Me Home Charity

You all know what a sweet tooth I have and although I would like to admit that I don’t eat dessert 6 out of 7 nights a week, I totally DO! Who can resist some chocolaty goodness??! So when I discovered a local charity that helps low-income families create this memory with their own children, I immediately wanted to know more!!

Six years ago, 7 year old twins Amy & Emma Bushman were volunteering with their mom (Alison) at local homeless shelters. With a desire to do more for these families, they began collecting additional items on their birthday and cooking pancake breakfasts for them. The girls wanted the children in the shelters to experience the joy and pride of baking in the kitchen and decided that a jar of cookie mix for the families leaving the shelter would give these children the opportunity to bake with their own families. Since then, they perfected their original Bake Me Home Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and added necessary baking supplies, a Kroger gift card for butter & eggs and a tote bag for these families. They have been blessed to receive support from more than 200 generous volunteers who share their passion for making the world a better place, one cookie at a time!  After 5 years the organization has grown to include 4 programs that serve people from 18 agencies (shelters, food pantries, and ProKids) in Hamilton, Clermont, Butler and Warren counties. Bake Me Home also sends cookies to deployed military personnel as part of their Bake Me BACK Home program and serves local wounded and sick veterans receiving treatment at the VA medical center.

Adorable right?! I love the fact that Alison started teaching her children about the importance of giving back at such a young age and how they started this amazing organization with a simple jar of cookie mix!  And there are so many ways you can get involved to help.

• Come to their boutique fundraiser Saturday, April 12 from 4pm-9pm at Coldstream Country Club, located at 400 Asbury Road, Cincinnati, OH 45255.
• There are some awesome shops and vendors. Pick up Easter gifts, mother’s day gifts and something for yourself!
• Buy a jar of cookie mix! The cookies are delicious and great to make with your own children. They also make really cute gifts!
• Get a group together and volunteer to make jars of cookie mix at their office.
• Check out their website Bake Me Home for additional opportunities, like their facebook page, or check out them out on Twitter. 

This mama loves to shop, so I’ll definitely be stopping at the boutique to pick up some cute gifts. There is also a cooking demo from an amazing pastry chef, Megan Ketover who recently competed on Bravo’s Top Chef Just Desserts as well as Food Network’s Challenge! Can you say YUM? Live music will also be performed by local guitar sensation Ben Walz. Hope to see you there!!