Cake4Kids makes a special day brighter
As a high school sophomore, Ishaan Sharma of Upper St. Clair became involved in a service project baking cupcakes for a local needs-based organization, SHIM. After the project was completed, he didn’t want to stop.
Now entering his sophomore year at Georgia Tech, Ishaan, 19, and his mother, Priyanka Sharma, both serve as chapter co-ambassadors for Cake4Kids Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, a chapter of the national organization with the mission of giving a birthday cake to children who may not otherwise receive one.
A national nonprofit, Cake4Kids was founded in 2010 in Sunnyvale, California, by Libby Gruender, who wanted to give free birthday cakes to at-risk youth and foster children in her area. The nonprofit has spread to 20 states with 28 chapters. Greater Pittsburgh’s Cake4Kids is Pennsylvania’s only chapter.
“The target audience we serve is underprivileged youth. Oftentimes that can be foster, refugee, low-income and many times these children may never have had a birthday cake or that special moment that they can savor, and our mission is to make sure that no child goes without,” said Ishaan.
The two Sharmas learned about the nonprofit from a family friend and after finding there was no chapter in the area, applied to start one. In August 2023, the application was accepted, but before they could fully operate, they had to find a couple of agencies to get on board and at least 10 volunteers.
The original agency receiving Ishaan’s cupcakes, SHIM in Bethel Park, is still on the list to receive and distribute cakes, as well as 10 other organizations, including the Bair Foundation, Beverly’s Birthdays, Melting Pot Ministries and the Allegheny Family Network.
Launched in March 2024, he estimates the effort has reached nearly 6,000 kids as of June in the Greater Pittsburgh area.
Today there are more than 200 volunteer bakers who purchase the ingredients, bake and deliver cakes to the agency working with the children.
“Ultimately, they get the cake to the agency and then the agency gets the cake to the family, so there is a layer of privacy for the family that is involved,” Ishaan explained. “We work with these agencies and they are the ones that have all of the contact information for the families they serve.”
Agencies post the child’s cake selection on a private portal and volunteers choose what works for their schedule.
Volunteers go through an orientation process through the national Cake4Kids organization that includes a test and background check before baking in their homes.
The Sharma’s Greater Pittsburgh Chapter has experienced rapid growth.
Ishaan and Priyanka met Mary Kirk, with the Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park Rotary Breakfast Club, at a St. Clair Community Day a few years ago, where the Rotary holds a bake-off contest.
“I just was really intrigued by them and what they did, and it lined up very nicely as a partner with our bake-offs.” Kirk invited Ishaan and his mom to join the Rotary’s booth at the USC Community to talk about Cake4Kids and grow their volunteer base.
Impressed with their initiative, Kirk also invited the two to present at a Rotary meeting, where they could connect with other agencies and charities who could use their service.
The Sharmas were awarded a Rotary grant two years in a row that went toward helping volunteer bakers hone their skills. Kirk connected Priyanka with Icing on the Cake in Finleyville, and they teamed up to hold classes in icing and decorating skills.
“It’s just really a full circle, beautiful example of how when you pull together as a community, you can pull in local businesses, local charities, and then volunteer organizations. And it’s really, I think, a good demonstration of the power that we have together,” Kirk said.
“We are really proud of how far Cake4Kids have come, nationally as well as in Pittsburgh. As of a few months ago, we are the fastest-growing chapter in the country as a percentage,” Ishaan said. “In our first entire year of operation, we reached about 100 deliveries, and we reached that in the first three months of our second year.
So far this year they have delivered 85 cakes and 172 dozen treats (cupcakes, cookies, brownies or bars).
For group celebrations, it’s often easier to have a couple dozen cupcakes to give out, Ishaan said.
“I’m really happy with how far this has come. The whole point of this was to continue what I started, and it’s really grown far faster than I ever expected. There’s been a tremendous amount of support for Pittsburgh. We’ve been fortunate that agencies have jumped on board. Volunteers often stick around and become multiple time bakers. We’ve had so much support. It’s really awesome to see,” said Ishaan.
If the family gives permission, a picture of the child with the cake is uploaded to the portal and sometimes families provide feedback. “Every single time we read that, it reminds us why we are doing it,” said Ishaan.
“And the other side of it is, because we’ve grown so fast, it made us realize how much of a need there is in the Pittsburgh area,” he said. “The downside to that growth made us realize how much of a population there is that we can serve.”
Going forward, he hopes to spread into the other counties in the Greater Pittsburgh area.
“We are meant to serve Pittsburgh and eight surrounding counties, and right now we have a good presence in two to three of those. The majority of outreach is concentrated in Allegheny County, so we think that if we can spread out over time that would be our biggest goal in the long run.”
While at college, his mom takes over more of the day-to-day work, but Ishaan still bakes and delivers cakes when he can, even doing a delivery during his spring break this year.
What’s his favorite item to bake outside of cakes?
“Ishaan loves baking chocolate babka. He also likes to bake artisanal breads and pizza … all the challenging stuff!” Priyanka said.
To volunteer, donate or to refer nonprofits working with children in the Greater Pittsburgh area to Cake4Kids, go to www.cake4kids.org.