After the recent typhoon affected certain parts of the country, leaving destroyed properties and homes in its wake, many families struggle to recover from the losses. But with little money and food to go around, most have been left homeless and hungry.
Thankfully, many people and organizations have stepped in to help. Through charities, donation drives, and fundraisers, they focused on those affected by Typhoon Ulysses. And Bake it So, an online Instagram account slash feeding program is one of them.
Photo by Andrea Conopio (@andibite and @whatsupandrea)
Bake it So: The Origin
According to Shayne Marie Agonia—one of the founders—the name Bake it So was inspired by Captain Picard’s famous line “Make it So” in Star Trek. As an avid fan of Star Trek, Agonia tells When in Manila that the line strongly resonated with her, hence the name.
A passion project born from the owner’s love for baking and her strong desire to give back to the community, Agonia started Bake it So in November. Together with her aunt, family, boyfriend, and his sister, she sells classic chocolate chip cookies with your choice of dark or white chocolate, which are loaded with walnuts.
Photo by Andrea Conopio (@andibite and @whatsupandrea)
“We don’t consider this a business since we don’t get any profit from it,” Agonia explained in an interview with When in Manila. “Our mission (is just) to feed one child for every one dozen order.”
Photo by Andrea Conopio (@andibite and @whatsupandrea)
Despite having a full-time job, Agonia’s boyfriend helped her a lot by creating a Google sheet that lets her track everything—from orders to inventory, and expenses. It even comes with a recipe calculator to help her compute the proportions of ingredients needed, should she decide to make multiple batches of cookies.
The Feeding Program
In line with Bake it So’s mission, for every dozen cookies purchased, the proceeds will go to the feeding program that Agonia has planned. Rather than choose a charitable organization, the beneficiaries of this project are none other than the street children in Metro Manila, whom the team will personally look for and give the meals to.
According to Agonia, the project will run from November to December 19 only. The first batch of their feeding program will be scheduled for November 30, while the second batch is set for December 19.
Photo by Andrea Conopio (@andibite and @whatsupandrea)
“At first, I was baking only for my family and friends. Fortunately, they loved everything, especially the cookies and it was (they) who gave me and my aunt the idea to sell it,” she added. “So we thought why not? But we’re only going to do it to help other people as a way of giving back to the community because this pandemic gave us the chance to learn something we never thought we could and it became our way of coping up during these tough times.”
When asked whether there are plans of continuing this venture, Agonia says that she’s still thinking about it. However, she hopes that her baking journey can inspire others not only to try something new but to also help those in need in any way they can.
[Also Read:Â Filipino Artists on Twitter Want You to Donate for Typhoon Ulysses Relief in Exchange For Art Commissions]
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