Bake sales are also a popular means of fundraising within corporations and political organizations.
A typical bake sale stand.
History
The advent of bake sales dates back to the 1800s, during which time women used their domestic skills to fulfill expectations of charity.[2] Since then, bake sales have been frequently used as a form of raising money for political or social causes. In the early 1900s, suffragettes in Virginia used bake sales as a means to raise money to further the cause of women's suffrage.[3] During the civil rights movement in the United States, Georgia Gilmore began a covert baking club that, in order to fund resistance efforts, sold savory meals and baked goods out of members' homes as well as in local establishments and at protest meetings.[4]
In response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, pastry chefs Willa Pelini, Paola Velez, and Rob Rubba organized a series of national bake sales that eventually became known as Bakers Against Racism.[5] Originally intended as a singular event, the initiative attracted the participation of professional and hobbyist bakers across the country, each of whom contributed baked goods for various sales to raise money for organizations that support Black lives.[6] Bakers Against Racism has since expanded efforts to help organizations working to end hate crimes against Asian Americans and people of Pacific Islander heritage.[7]
Conduct
Bake sales are most often held to raise money for specific causes or for a particular organization, and frequently take place at schools or churches.[8] Goods most commonly sold at bake sales include cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and muffins.[9]
