HAVE a sweet tooth? Why not put it to good use and support Cupcakes of Hope and their annual fundraising initiative, National Cupcake Day 4 Kids with Cancer on September 28.
For the past 13 years in September, people across the country have been “baking a difference” by donning their aprons and baking cupcakes which are sold to raise funds. They also have the option of donating money or baking supplies so that others can do the baking.
Baker Shyanne Kanayee has been in charge of the cupcake drive in Galleria Mall in eManzimtoti for at least five years.
“I started volunteering just to assist and bake cupcakes and drop it off at various malls that hosted this event. I noticed there was nothing much done on the South Coast and there is a big mall and there were a lot of kids that had cancer.”
As a mom who gave birth to two premature babies, Kanayee said that she couldn't imagine what the parents of children with cancer had to endure.
“I learnt that cancer doesn't knock on any specific door. It can knock on any door. So any colour, any age, this could happen any time to any child. And what do you do when you're in that position? I felt for those parents.”
Every year before the main event Kanayee holds “pre-sales” at companies, schools and even hospitals so that they can raise enough money to assist as many children as possible.
“I bake cupcakes or ask people to sponsor us cupcakes. And then we go to offices or they give us an order… so I'll bring in the 200 cupcakes and have those sold at the venue.
“That's what I did last year and prior to that. It's just this year that we've had nothing. This year is extremely slow, we haven't had a single pre-sale. There's nobody calling us to sponsor us.”
On its Facebook page, Cupcakes of Hope said it had assisted 10 000 cancer patients in the past 12 years but could not have achieved this without its volunteers or “Cupcake Angels”. Kanayee has called on anyone willing to donate time, money or baking goods to reach out to them so that the organisation can continue to support children with cancer and their families.
“Some kids, after they're in remission, they still need to do yearly check-ups, PET scans, certain scans. So sometimes their medical aid doesn't cover everything, there’s a shortfall. So they can write to Cupcakes for Kids and most of the time they have the money and they write off the shortfalls. They assist if the child needs a special laptop because some kids’ eyesight becomes very poor. Some would need their bathrooms renovated because they can't walk in anymore, they need to get pushed in through a commode or a wheelchair,” said Kanayee.
Cupcakes of Hope has appealed to companies and individuals to make a difference in the lives of children who are fighting cancer by pledging to bake 24 or 48 cupcakes and delivering them to one of the 70 participating malls. Alternatively you can nurse their sweet cravings by buying a cupcake. To get involved phone Kanayee 079 343 7291 or Emmi on 082 770 7998.