A newspaper article caught the attention of Libby Gruender. It was about a Midwestern girl in foster care. When her foster mother presented the child with a birthday cake, the girl burst into tears, saying she had never had a birthday cake before.
That is the origin of Cake4Kids. Gruender started the nonprofit in September 2010, providing free birthday cakes to foster children and at-risk youth in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sadly, Gruender passed away in 2013, but Cake4Kids continues her mission to give something to celebrate to children in the foster care system and those experiencing hardships and trauma.
Lindsay Bierbrauer, the Marketing Director for Cake4Kids, says she was immediately drawn in by the nonprofit’s founding.
“There are kids in our communities who have never even heard somebody wish them a happy birthday, let alone never having experienced the joy of a birthday cake is really heartbreaking,” Bierbrauer said.
“As somebody who was fortunate enough to grow up having a homemade birthday cake, those memories are such the heart of some of my childhood memories. And so that combination really sparked in me just a deep need to be part of the organization.”
Cake4Kids collaborates with local nonprofits, schools, and advocacy programs that work with kids in foster care, children experiencing homelessness, those living in underserved communities, and kids who come from troubled households. The children request the specifics of their sweet treat – whether it’s a cake, cookies, brownies or donuts.
They also describe the kind of dessert they want – color, flavors, characters – and a Cake4Kids volunteer bakes the homemade sugary snack. The baked goods are made to celebrate a child’s birthday, graduation, or adoption.
Cake4Kids will soon open its newest chapter, establishing the nonprofit in 20 states and the District of Columbia. They have big dreams to expand to all 50 states.
Some chapters cover the entire state, while others are headquartered in major cities, serving both metro and suburban areas, with some reach to rural locations.
The Atlanta chapter was founded in June 2021, and Kira Stein is a local Co-Ambassador.
“Each chapter has hundreds of volunteers, and specifically in our Atlanta chapter, we have over 400 volunteers, and that is really the lifeblood of the organization,” Stein said. “We’re able to find those opportunities as there are so many children in these facilities and in these organizations who deserve to be celebrated.”
Cake4Kids just hit a major milestone – serving their 100,000th child. Bierbrauer says it’s an honor to serve kids exactly what they want for their special occasion, because many of the children are in situations where they don’t trust adults.
“Because for these kids who don’t feel like they’re heard or seen, somebody taking the time to see that request and do exactly what they’re hoping for is so impactful for that youth. Because honestly, it may be the first time somebody’s really listened to them,” Bierbrauer said.
Bierbrauer and Stein were guests on Wednesday’s “Closer Look with Rose Scott.” They say Cake4Kids is always happy to take on more volunteers by registering on their website.
