Community News
The Great American Bake Sale Helps End Childhood Hunger in America
By
Nov 14, 2005, 22:55

(ARA) - Five-year-old Alex Moffett and his best friend, 4-year-old Maya Kramer, have never experienced what it means to be hungry. As happy and healthy children in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, they don’t think much about the three meals they receive every day. But one afternoon, while watching a television commercial for a nationwide Great American Bake Sale, they learned that hunger is a reality for more than 13 million American children.
Now in its third year, The Great American Bake Sale, presented by Parade magazine and Share Our Strength, one of the nation’s leading anti-hunger organizations, encourages all Americans to hold bake sales in their communities to help ensure all children in America have access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and thrive. Proceeds from every cookie and brownie sold go to programs like Operation Frontline, Share our Strength’s nutrition education program to help needy families stretch limited resources, and to child nutrition programs - both in the states where funds are raised and in areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Inspired by what they learned, Alex, Maya and their families and friends teamed up to hold their own Great American Bake Sale. What started as a small table at the end of their cul-de-sac soon grew into a community-wide effort. With a donation from Maya’s mother’s employer, Skogman Homes, and the use of one of their model homes, Alex and Maya raised nearly $3,000 through their neighborhood bake sale and online through www.greatamericanbakesale.org, the event’s official web site.

“Alex’s curiosity about how kids like them can be hungry inspired us to do something to help,” said the boy's mother. “The bake sale was an easy, fun and rewarding way for us all to come together around a problem that seems so far away, but in reality affects families just like ours.”

Since 2003, more than 1 million Americans have baked, bought, or sold at Great American Bake Sales in all 50 states, raising nearly $3 million to end childhood hunger in America.

To participate in this year’s Great American Bake Sale, which runs from Oct. 16, 2005 through Jan. 29, 2006, follow these three simple steps:

* Register at www.greatamericanbakesale.org or call (800) 761-4227. It’s free and easy – and you’ll receive a poster with participation information.

* Share your strength — hold your Great American Bake Sale this fall or winter, up until Jan. 29, 2006.

* Send your funds to Share Our Strength. Information on submitting funds will be provided upon registration.

From funds raised, Share Our Strength will award grants to innovative nonprofits fighting childhood hunger in the United States. Participants who register for The Great American Bake Sale 2005 can designate funds to hunger programs in the areas hit hardest by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

This national fund-raising program is made possible through the sponsorship and support of ABC Entertainment and PAM for Baking.

For complete information about The Great American Bake Sale, visit www.greatamericanbakesale.org. Courtesy of ARA Content

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