In the News

Sweet Rewards: Committing to Ending Childhood Hunger

It's shocking but true: Nearly 17 million American children—almost one in four—face hunger on a daily basis. They also face the lifelong mental and physical consequences of chronic hunger.
The good news is that you can make a big difference in those kids' lives—while doing something you already love to do: baking!
For the third consecutive year, C&H Sugar has teamed up with Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale, a chance for friends and neighbors to join in the critical fight against childhood hunger. Last year, 7,600 bake-sale teams across the country helped raise $1.2 million—and at Share Our Strength's 2009 Conference of Leaders, C&H Sugar received the award for excellence in corporate leadership for helping generate interest, donations, and participation. This year, Share Our Strength has set a $1.8 million goal. With your help, we'll meet that goal!
To get started, sign up at the Great American Bake Sale website. Then check out Share Our Strength's online Bake Sale Neighborhood, completely updated this year with helpful tips. Check out the calendar to join a bake sale already being planned in your area or—if you're a bake sale organizer—to add your event to the list. You can also post questions and receive answers from Share Our Strength staff and bake sale volunteers.
Next, go to C&H Sugar's Bake Sale Center to find recipes, presentation ideas, pricing suggestions, sign templates, and promotional tools. You can also become a C&H fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to receive more information and instant answers to your questions.
Finally, learn from experienced GABS-ers like Melissa Johnson of Sioux Falls, SD, who has participated in the Great American Bake Sale for four years with her two young daughters. Melissa has generously shared some of her tips for organizing a successful bake sale:

1. Get the word out. Identify the assignment editors at your local newspaper and television stations and send them a media alert using the template offered by Share Our Strength. Local media are always looking for good feature stories, and this is a terrific one!
2. Team up. Recruit high school leadership groups, church youth groups, or philanthropy groups to help your effort.
3. Prepare your sales pitch. Each volunteer should be prepared with a "30-second commercial" so she can clearly communicate why you're holding the bake sale and what the donations will be used for. This is a great lesson in professionalism for younger volunteers, by the way.
4. Ask for donations and help. Ask local grocery stores or bakeries to donate baked goods to your event. In exchange, offer to post their signs to credit them for their generosity. If you're asking friends to help you bake, assign them to teams such as the bread team or the brownie team.
5. Make it festive. Dress up your baked treats to make your bake sale extra-attractive, and make colorful signs that announce your event to passersby. And consider wearing matching T-shirts or hats while you're selling. If you're having fun, people will want to check out your event!