O
N FEBRUARY 12, 2019, Brendon
Fontaine blew out five candles
on a birthday cake covered in
strawberry icing and topped with a
plastic figurine of his favourite char-
acter from Paw Patrol. “He loved the
cake,” says his mother, Faith, who lives
in Winnipeg with Brendon and his lit-
tle sister. “I hid it in the back of the
fridge to keep him from peeking.”
Brendon’s surprise came courtesy
of Cakes for Kids, a group of home bak-
ers who recognize that a simple birth-
day cake can be an extravagance for
families like the Fontaines, who live
on social assistance.The group was founded three years
ago by Christy Rogowski, a 40-year-old
who works in health care software, and
her partner, Wendy Singleton, a 46-year-
old health care administrator. “Imagin-
ing a child who wasn’t going to have a
birthday cake was really upsetting,”
Rogowski says.
A Facebook call-out for volunteers
eventually added 150 bakers to their
roster, which includes people of all skill
levels—grandmothers who like to bake
with their grandchildren as well as
professional bakers. When volunteers
first apply, they’re asked why they
want to contribute. “Some people haveA group of volunteer bakers is making sure no child
in Winnipeg goes without a cake
Happier Birthdays
BY Susan Peters
photograph by thomas frickereader’s digest
8 april 2020
BIG IDEA