Oakland Bakery launches sweet effort to help families during government shutdown
Amid the ongoing government shutdown, one Oakland bakery is stepping up to help families who are struggling financially, by giving away free cakes and cupcakes. Angel Cakes Bakery, a worker-owned cooperative, launched a GoFundMe campaign this week to sponsor baked goods for families who may not be able to afford them. For every box of cupcakes or cakes sponsored, the bakery will donate another.
OAKLAND, Calif. – Amid the ongoing government shutdown, one Oakland bakery is stepping up to help families who are struggling financially, by giving away free cakes and cupcakes.
Angel Cakes Bakery, a worker-owned cooperative, launched a GoFundMe campaign this week to sponsor baked goods for families who may not be able to afford them. For every box of cupcakes or cakes sponsored, the bakery will donate another.
“We thought if we can get the wider community involved to sort of sponsor people, we could expand it to lots of different people suffering financial losses this time of year,” said Kelly Peck, one of the bakery’s worker-owners.
Peck and her colleague, Morgan Noel, say they were motivated to act after reading about the hardships many are facing during the shutdown. For them, the idea that a family might not be able to celebrate a birthday or enjoy dessert on Thanksgiving was simply too hard to ignore.
“It means a lot to see the photos afterward, kids celebrating, enjoying the dessert, living in the moment,” said Noel. “To think that people won’t get that, it’s sad.”
Noel has also been reaching out to local food banks, hoping to expand the bakery’s reach. So far, she says the response has been positive.
The effort is also a way for Angel Cakes to give back to the community that supported them after the 2023 death of their founder, Jen Angel, who was killed during a robbery in Oakland.
“Jen’s community was huge. She was beloved by so many people,” said Peck. “So many stepped in to help us. It’s just time to pay back, and now is the time.”
If the program is successful, the bakery hopes to make it a monthly donation effort.
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