Sometimes making a big difference starts with something small—and sweet.
For the past five years, the team at Easy Living has supported the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)’s Out of the Darkness Walk. This year, the team knew they wanted to participate and were looking for a way to do more than simply raise money.
From Kitchen to Community
After brainstorming, the team came up with the idea for a bake sale. For many of the eight to 10 individuals who participated, baking was an entirely new experience. Over the course of about an hour and a half, they worked alongside staff to make everything from scratch.
Together, they:
- Decided what to bake: brownies (including bite-sized!), strawberry, blueberry, and chocolate chip muffins
- Prepared all the ingredients: the staff helped with the shopping and setting up everything in the kitchen
- Started baking: the individuals cracked the eggs, mixed the ingredients (first dry, then wet), then baked
- Added finishing touches: the team added colorful, decorative sprinkles and packaged the treats
The staff helped the individuals with each step of the process—offering guidance, support, and of course, encouraging the taste testing! The baked goods were packaged and sold during Third Thursday, a monthly event celebrating the arts and local Joplin community.
A Special Recipe for Confidence
One individual who especially enjoyed the experience was Blaze. He took a particular interest in making the chocolate chip muffins, becoming so involved that he even helped other individuals crack their eggs.
His enthusiasm continued beyond the kitchen. When it was time to sell the baked goods, Blaze was excited to help share the treats he created with the community.
Seeing a finished product go from ingredients on the counter to something ready for customers to purchase gave individuals a sense of accomplishment. For Blaze, the experience was about more than making muffins—it was an opportunity to build confidence, help others and take pride in contributing to a shared goal.
More Than a Bake Sale
Natasha Mooney, Professional Manager at Easy Living, helped guide the individuals throughout the baking and at the event.
“It really gave individuals the confidence in trying something new, and working together as a team,” said Mooney. “This experience demonstrated the sense of pride and accomplishment individuals could gain from seeing something they made go from the kitchen to the sale.”
In addition to preparing the baked treats, five individuals had the opportunity to learn valuable business and sales skills working the booth at Third Thursday by:
- Promoting the treats with signage and reaching out to customers walking by
- Helping with the purchase of the treats including managing the sales and counting change
- Practicing interpersonal, communication and social skills in a community setting
While the bake sale raised approximately $300-$400, it was really the opportunity for the individuals to learn new skills while giving back to the community that was the real success. The impact of the bake sale extended well beyond the total collected—individuals gained hands-on experience learning how to bake, worked together toward a common goal, and discovered how their own efforts could make a difference.
The baking fundraiser is just one example of how Easy Living creates meaningful opportunities for individuals to learn, grow, and build independence. If you’d like to learn more about our programs and facilities, we’d like to connect with you.
