Kait Wakefield is not a professional baker – but you would never know it by looking at her popular Instagram feed, showcasing her kitchen creations, like vanilla bean cakes topped with Italian meringue buttercream succulents, mini French meringue pavlovas filled with chantilly crème, fresh lemon curd, and blueberries, and hand-painted sugar cookies.
And now, she’s teamed up with a few other baking enthusiasts to use their talents for good by launching Bakers for Change, an organization with a mission to “enact change through baking” by organizing online bake-sales, auctions and virtual baking classes to raise money for organizations aimed at increased access to voting.
The group includes Nashville-based pastry chef Jessica Bedor, Pittsburgh photographer Sarah McCloskey, Pittsburgh Insagrammer Sophia from @sopheating and Camille, a Pittsburgh physician who shares her home-baked treats at @ctastypastry.
“We started Bakers for Change in July,” Wakefield says. “Once the lockdown started, I started making cakes with messages on them, like ‘Let’s Stay Home,’ and it became a really great outlet for me whenever I was frustrated about something that was happening in the world, or anxious about the election, or sad about something that happened. So I put that feeling into a cake.”
After posting a series of cakes with social-distancing messages (like ‘Love You…But From Like 6 ft. Away,’ ‘Don’t Blame Teachers for the Government’s Failure to Act,’ and ‘I Shouldn’t Have to Tell You to Care About Other People,’) Wakefield connected with the bakers on Instagram, and set about finding a way to collaborate.
“We decided that we wanted to do something concrete, and try to raise some money for an organization that work for voting rights and try to combat voter disentrancement.”
Bakers for Change is raising money through a series of Zoom baking classes and online baking auctions, including an auction on Thursday, October 1.
“We wanted to take a bake sale idea, and make it into an online auction,” says Wakefield. “Instead of having to make a ton of little treats, we’re making one or two highly decorated pretty things that people can bid on, and all of the money will go to Fair Fight Action.”
Bakers can sign up to donate their own baked goods for auction to raise money for the cause, and bidders can follow Bakers for Change on Instagram (or check #bakersforchange) on October 1 to see what cakes are available for auction.
Another auction is planned for October 29, which will benefit the ACLU, and Wakefield is hosting a Zoom baking class for donations on October 17, sharing how to make buttercream succulents.
Wakefield says that she would love to see Bakers for Change expand across the country.
“I would love to have one baker from every state participate,” she says. “It’s open to everyone. We’ve even had some Canadians who are doing a cake to spread awareness. With the pandemic, we understand that some people don’t want to order cakes, or share actual baked goods. But, even just making a message cake and sharing it online – it’s a way to get involved, and encourage people to donate to one of these great causes.”
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