{Thank You, Friends} NYC Food Blogger Bake Sale

With Louise, Sara, & Katie - lovely bloggers & volunteers! [Photo by my friend, Patty who stopped by to show her support]

In case you were wondering where I disappeared to for the past month, and do not follow me on Twitter or even Facebook, I'm finally here to tell you.  You may have remembered me mentioning the Food Blogger Bake Sale back in February - I can't believe it's been more than two months since that post! All of the planning and organizing culminated in an incredible event this past Saturday, and I could not have done it without the help of my fearless co-leader, Ken and an amazing team of bakers and volunteers! 

Having planned the Bake Sale for Japan last year, I knew we were in for a similar dose of sweets & goodness on Saturday.  Even though the cause was different, the generosity and positive energy surrounding the event was the same.  Over the past couple months, I've been contact with numerous people all reaching out to lend their support.  Whether it was to contribute baked goods, help us get the word out, or sponsor raffles, each person gave from their heart in order to support Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign.  

T-shirts donated by Share Our Strength partner, Joe's Crab Shack for volunteers to wear at the Bake Sale

I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with, and it still amazes me at how sponsors were willing to support and work with us.  Although all of our sponsors deserve recognition, I personally want to thank Michelle, at Joe's Crab Shack for going above and beyond in order to get the awesome volunteer t-shirts shipped to me on time.  Thank you for making it happen!

The Brooklyn Flea, whom I also worked with last year, provided us with the perfect space to display dozens of goodies that seemed to never end.  Their staff was super-helpful and friendly - many thanks to Rob & Kyle for supporting our event.  

[photo by: Ken, of HungryRabbitNYC]

Thanks to Ken, I was able to get a gorgeous photo of my strawberry frosted sugar cookies, adorned with sprinkles and the No Kid Hungry logo.  I'm not sure what goes through my mind when deciding what to bake for events like these - it's like a switch turns on and says that I should make things more complicated for myself.  I just couldn't get the idea of piping the logo out of my head - even though I am horrible at piping and any intricate designs.  In the end, they turned out fine and since I only made about 2 1/2 dozen, it wasn't so bad since the cookies themselves were easy to make.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take any photos of all of the scrumptiousness donated by my fellow food bloggers besides the ones I brought home from the bake sale.  Please visit the NYC Bake Sale Tumblr site for a list of recaps and photos already shared.  

My stash included goodies from Epicurean Creations, Runner & Stone, Mind Over Batter,  Sweet & Simple, Lucky Penny Bake Shop and Baked

Thanks again to everyone who made this event possible.  It was such a lovely day meeting so many talented bakers and bloggers, and even a special Twitter friend.  Finally, a special shout-out goes to my family & friends who made it out on Saturday: Ben, Ahmee, Louis, Sandra, Cami, Dany, Patty, Shareese, Jenny, Carol, Meghan, Jessica and most importantly, my hubby.  It means so much that you all trekked to Brooklyn to support me and more importantly, Share Our Strength.

We are still accepting online donations until Friday, May 4th if you'd like to contribute.  There is no donation too small - just $1 can provide a hungry child with 10 healthy meals.