Getting Started

All volunteer bakers begin their journey with us by attending a virtual information session. This allows you to learn about the organization and the impact of our freshly baked donations. Sign up for one of these sessions here: ATTEND A BAKER SESSION

Don’t see a time that works? Please contact us, we’ll help you out!

Information sessions are just an hour with plenty of time for questions. You will leave the session completely prepared to begin baking the world a better place.

Life happens, we know. You can easily sign up for another session, just revisit the “Bake With Us” link and choose the next available that matches with your schedule.

Unable to find a session that works with your schedule? There is a possibility we have a recording to share with you. Please email us here.

This is a big beautiful volunteer project, 100%. Our bakers give their time, talent, and treasure to bake and donate our honey oat sandwich bread and energy cookies to our local food banks.

Every donation is logged on your volunteer baker profile, and you can pull a giving statement anytime. The giving statement records the total items donated, the volunteer time to complete those donations, and the financial cost.

Cost For A Loaf Of Bread: The current cost to make and bake one loaf of bread is $2.84, including the packaging. This can vary, especially in our expanded markets like California or Idaho. If you purchase different flour or types of ingredients, for example, specialty honey or farmer’s market oats, the loaf price could be higher. Our price used Costco honey, oatmeal, and olive oil. For the flour, we used our Community Loaves flour store pricing. Bakers are given a 7-hour donation of time credit for every batch of 3-4 loaves donated. Use this time credit to satisfy community service requirements or request corporate matching! Our non-profit benefits greatly from corporate matching!

Cost Per Energy Cookie: Similarly, we’ve priced out the Energy Cookie to $.88 cents per cookie, fully packaged. We used average store pricing for the ingredients beyond the mix – unsweetened apple sauce, pecans, cornmeal, blueberries, and raw sugar… An entire batch of cookies, 32, costs $28.23 and takes 3 hours to produce. Again, your volunteer time for younger bakers can be used to satisfy community service requirements or for those in industry, serve as support in the request for corporate matching.

Volunteers can download their current statement anytime! It is found on your volunteer profile page.

There are two donation opportunities every month. Typically the second and fourth Sunday’s of the month. The schedule can vary in a month due to holidays. Our Community Loaves calendar is set for the entire year to make it easier for our volunteers to plan their baking.

There is no minimum donation requirement. However, our food bank partners can use all the bread and energy cookies we can possibly donate, and demand exceeds supply across the board. Your contributions, when you are able to bake and donate will be cherished by the food bank clients.

There are some volunteers who have never missed a donation, but more commonly, our volunteer bakers develop a routine that fits into their busy schedules. For some, that is once a month or every other month. Just know that whenever you participate, you are helping to nourish your local neighbors in need.

And, our formulas freeze beautifully, which means you can plan ahead! If you know you will be out of town for a donation, you can bake ahead, package, and freeze your donation. On donation Sunday, simply take them out of the freezer and drop at your neighborhood hub. Alternatively, you can make an early donation by taking them to a local freezer bank.

The amount of time donated depends on what you choose to bake, our bread formula typically takes 6-7 hours depending on the formula you choose. Of course, being bread, that isn’t all hands-on time. If you want to make our Energy Cookie that takes about 3 hours, start to finish. Not all our volunteers are bakers. Some dedicate their time to helping this non-profit thrive by helping pack supplies, assisting with administrative work, providing volunteer support and service. A host of roles and responsibilities that allow us to bake a difference for our food bank partners.

Our requirements regarding volunteering are governed by common sense and insurance standards. The following should provide you the information you need:

1. Baker – anyone accepting and following our baking best practices can bake and donate. Younger bakers, middle and high school age can earn volunteer service hours for their time. It is expected that all young bakers will follow the safety practices and follow the recipes precisely.
   
2. Flour Packer – no age limit. However, precision in breaking down 50 lb bags into 5 lb portions is a must. Flour is our thing, so neatness and attention to detail matter.
   
3. Stage and Load the Truck – ability to lift, without struggle, 40 lbs.
   
4. Drive The Truck – Twenty-five years of age or older with a valid driver’s license and insurance.