Getting Started

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

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.

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.