Cakes4Kids ensures at-risk children get a cake on their birthday

When children, for one reason or another, aren’t getting a cake for their birthday, a group of volunteer bakers with Cakes4Kids steps up to make sure they are not forgotten.  

“We want to make a child feel special on their birthday,” says Campbell, founder of the Northern Virginia Chapter of Cakes4Kids.

That group has delivered more than 4,600 birthday cakes so far this year.  

The cakes have gone to children in Annandale area schools, the Patrick Henry Family Shelter in Seven Corners, children in foster care, celebrations hosted by FACETS, and all over Northern Virginia, says Mary Campbell, who started the chapter in 2019.

Case workers from 126 agencies and schools in the area reach out to Cakes4Kids when they learn about a child with an upcoming birthday who isn’t going to get a cake. The child gets to pick out the theme and colors. The agencies submit the delivery date, whether the child has allergies, and other relevant information on the Cakes4Kids portal, where it’s seen by 807 local bakers.

The participating bakers then sign up to bake a cake for delivery to the agency. If no one responds to a request right away, Campbell bakes the cake herself.

The Cakes4Kids organization was started in the San Francisco Bay Area more than 10 years ago by Libby Gruender. Her dream was to provide free birthday cakes to at-risk youths and kids in foster care. After she died, in 2013, other volunteers kept the organization going.

Other chapters were started in California, and there are now 24 chapters across the United States.

“We’re always looking for more volunteers and more agencies, so we can reach more children,” Campbell says. Sponsors and donors are also appreciated.