Words Megan Lyon
Bring to mind if you will, a stack of pillowy pinwheel scones, made with goat’s cheese and dried tomatoes; peanut butter crispies packed with Whittaker’s chocolate and rice bubbles; an oaty caramel ANZAC slice.
These delectable treats have all recenty come from the kitchens of La Cave owner Brigid Sullivan for the Waikato chapter of charity Good Bitches Baking (GBB). Brigid became involved a year ago having heard about it online via the Cambridge Grapevine. The national charity was founded in Wellington in 2014 by two friends Nicole Murray and Marie Fitzpatrick whose concept was to let people going through a tough time know that others in their community cared. This began with Nicole’s personal experience of a tough time when somebody, still unknown, left a warm buttery cheese scone at her desk.
GBB operates across the country and has a bitch management system for all volunteers where they can manage their own information on a database which generates a roster. There is a committee of four who manage the Waikato chapter, make necessary manual adjustments and offer any on the ground support. As any baker knows, regardless of experience, sometimes things can go awry in the kitchen, so a contingency plan always exists.
Brigid is impressed with the set up of GBB, as the system runs very efficiently, particularly the online portal which is designed to allow flexibility around other commitments. She is on a roster for the Waikato chapter to provide a box of baking every week which is labelled with ingredients and includes a personal message. Brigid does a bake and drop before 9am before heading into La Cave and has regular recipients that include Age Concern, Blind Low Vision NZ and the Stroke Foundation. Across the Waikato chapter there are currently 380 volunteers giving to 72 recipients which equates to 100 boxes of baking per week. By comparison in Rotorua there are 39 volunteers and 11 recipients.
Brigid finds it easy to coordinate her time, responding to a monthly survey where she picks her days, and if she has capacity will fill an extra slot. She has learnt a few tips to make the process easier, such as always having a batch of frozen cookie dough ready to go. At times she will make use of her commercial kitchen, set up at the back of the Le Cave store, and stock she carries, such as quality chocolate, which behaves as it should in her recipes.
For Brigid the appeal is twofold – being creative and to give back. “I’m quite passionate about baking, and I like trying new recipes and experimenting, so it’s a good outlet for that.” Brigid believes the organisation is very good at creating a community for their volunteers through the private Facebook group page, particularly where messages of appreciation are shared. There are also forums for people to swap recipes and share creative solutions to issues like the current astronomical price of butter, such as using oils as a substitute.
Across town in Rototuna, Fleur Cook is bustling in her kitchen enjoying being creative decorating a batch of biscuits. “I love biscuits. I love decorating. It’s my thing at the moment,” she enthuses. Fleur’s title is Head Bitch of the Waikato Chapter of GBB and she devotes her considerable energy to leading the chapter and managing the extensive network of volunteers and recipient organisations across the Waikato. She is highly organised and brings her own flair to running the chapter. Over the past two years, she has expanded the original Hamilton chapter to include several subchapters, requiring a rename as the Waikato chapter, and she enjoys the challenges in establishing other GBB initiatives in the Waikato, such as involving schools in the programme, to give their baking purpose and see the difference out in the community.
Fleur and some volunteers have recently completed the second iteration of GBB Prison Bake programme at Waikeria Prison, which has been heartfelt. The programme is about learning to bake some simple recipes, but more importantly it presents ideas around the act and impact of kindness. Fleur says it has been one of her most rewarding experiences. “It is quite raw. Recently one of the men said that for somebody to have done that for him and that he had in turn been able to give an act of kindness to a complete stranger filled him with an emotion that he had never felt before.”
Stacey Rimene, Head Bitch of the Rotorua chapter, also leads with kindness and is proud of the growth since its inception four years ago. After she moved back from Australia she saw a news segment highlighting different volunteering opportunities around Aotearoa and GBB stood out straight away. “I loved the mission and how it offered a way to give back that suited me perfectly. As an introvert with a busy work schedule, it was the ideal way to help others from the comfort of my own kitchen and on my own time.” Stacey loves to work with the seasons and she cites a savoury muffin recipe acquired from the GBB network as her go-to. “Such an easy recipe and very tasty!”
Stacey points out that the more volunteers GBB has the more kindness can be shared with people and organisations who really need it. “Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting out, if you’ve got a love for baking and a heart for helping others there is a place for you within GBB.” One of her most meaningful experiences has been the Sweet as Hapori programme, which started in a residential rehabilitation centre. This programme sees a few volunteers baking alongside residents every week building trust and connections. “These sessions were incredibly rewarding – for us and for them. In some cases, residents had previously received baking through GBB, and now they were the ones baking for others. That full-circle moment was deeply emotional and a powerful reminder of the impact this community can have.”
One cannot underestimate the power there is in sharing these gestures of kindness to create a lasting impact. For Stacey it is the no-strings-attached kindness that really sets GBB apart. “It’s about being part of a supportive community of like-minded people. Most of us are just everyday home bakers, so there’s no pressure to create something perfect – just honest, homemade baking shared with others who are going through tough times.” Brigid declares that when you gift baking you are bringing joy. “Let’s not underestimate that. You know, it doesn’t actually take much to improve people’s days, I think.”
Fleur concludes: “You feel it and you can’t buy it. It just feels really good to do this. I love what we do. I talk, sleep and eat it, literally.”