Bake For Better
Created by Ralston in 2020, Bake For Better has become a way to spread loving kindness in the community and support the food insecure. Bake For Better has distributed well over 3500 bags of baked goods and notes of kindness with participation of over 500 students and parents.
“Together we can create change.”
Ralston was invited by the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry to speak at Church of the Chimes about his volunteer work with Bake For Better and his ongoing efforts to help address food insecurity.
Our Mission
Bake for Better helps spread love, compassion, empathy and kindness in our community. Bake for Better creates opportunities for the food insecure to feel valued, seen and heard by providing them with homemade baked goods and hand-written inspirational messages of kindness created by the families in their community. These treats are distributed at food pantry locations during holidays throughout the year.
Bake for Better works with local Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, Girl Scout troops, Boy Scout troops, Temples, Churches and other Philanthropic Organizations to engage the community in caring for each other.
Bake for Better helps teach today’s youth about the importance of giving back and making a difference. We create an experiential environment where children and families can help facilitate change and touch people’s hearts. We are moving the conversation from the “I” to the “We”.
Our goal is to not only help our community survive, but to help each other thrive through simple acts of kindness. Together we can make a difference.
How It Started.
During the summer of 2020, while schools, camps, and public spaces were shut down, Ralston turned to baking as a creative outlet and escape from the isolation of quarantine. As his skills grew, so did his desire to help others. With support from his mom, he began selling baked goods through their Laurel Canyon neighborhood Facebook page to raise money for the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry, a cause he had supported since second grade.
Together, they packaged treats, masked up, and made socially distanced deliveries one household at a time. By the end of the summer, Ralston had raised over $2,500. What began as a personal project became a powerful way to reconnect with his community and rediscover purpose during a challenging time.
How It Grew.
Motivated to continue helping beyond the summer, Ralston founded Bake For Better, a community baking initiative that delivers homemade treats and handwritten notes to those in need. With the support of The Wesley School and the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry, the first event launched on Valentine’s Day 2021 and provided over 300 bags of baked goods and notes of kindness. Since then, the initiative has mobilized hundreds of volunteers and delivered thousands of baked goods to food-insecure communities in Los Angeles. As Ralston entered high school, Bake For Better continued to grow by passing the torch to new ambassadors, Keira, then Cooper. The program has grown by encouraging younger students to step into leadership roles and keep the mission going.
Ralston with Bake For Better student ambassador Keira and LA City Councilmember 4th District, Nithya Raman.
