On Saturday, May 30, a community-wide Bake Sale sponsored by Adventure Kitchen raised $663.70 to benefit Toni’s Kitchen, a local organization that has been serving meals to hungry members of our community since 1982. The Bake Sale took place at the corner of Bloomfield Ave., South Fullerton Ave., and Church Street in Montclair.
“At Adventure Kitchen, we don’t just learn about cooking, we also learn the stories behind the food. The true story behind food in New Jersey right now is that about 4 out of 10 families don’t have enough of it,” said Lynley Jones, owner of Adventure Kitchen. “I wouldn’t be doing my job if our kids didn’t learn about that.”
“The bake sale was a terrific way for kids to learn about hunger and to see that they can help address the issue within their own community,” said Anne Mernin, Director of Outreach at Toni’s Kitchen. “We will put the funds raised through their hard work to good use!”
Volunteers from around the Montclair area and as far away as Bridgewater contributed baked goods for the event. Also, the following items were donated by local restaurants and businesses:
Baklava from Simit House Bakery
Sour Cream Walnut Coffee Cake with Espresso Glaze from Red Eye Café
Blueberry Scones from The Blue Stone
Vanilla Flower Cookies from Tiny Elephant Café
Blood-Orange Brownies from Olive That! And More
Cupcakes, Lemon Whoopee Pies and other goodies from The Little Daisy Bake Shop
Strawberry Scones from The Corner Café and Juice Bar
Anne asked some of children who volunteered to vote on how the money should be used. It was a split decision, so half the money will be used for meal service at Toni’s Kitchen. The other half will be used for the Toni’s Kitchen Backpack Program, which provides a weekly backpack full of nutritious staples for low-income students’ families to use to make meals throughout the week.
“That means this money will fill the stomachs of 60 hungry people with nutritious food at Toni’s Kitchen, and will enable kids to bring home 27 backpacks filled with a week’s worth of healthy food for their families,” said Lynley. “It’s great for kids – and grownups – to see that the choices we make every day can make life better for real human beings.”
Adventure Kitchen is a local business offering cooking classes, enrichment, parties and events in the Montclair area. For more pictures from the Bake Sale and information about hunger, visit their website at www.AdventureKitchen.com. To learn more about hunger and volunteering opportunities at Toni’s Kitchen, visit their website at tk.slechurch.org.
