Charity Cupcake Friday

Update on Charity Cupcake Friday…

Changing the world one love velvet at a time :)

I was hoping to resume #CharityCupcakeFriday this week (11 October 2013) and continue it for the duration of October, in support of breast cancer awareness month, but regrettably I’m going to have to postpone it indefinitely. 

I recently moved house and am still busy acquainting myself with the oven. I had a test run on Sunday afternoon and I’m horrified to report that for the first time in my life I burnt cupcakes while at the same time some of them were raw. 

I’ve managed to contact a specialist who is coming to service the oven and detect what is wrong with it. I suspect the hinges are busted and some heat is escaping (while I’m baking) causing an overcompensation, which makes the oven extremely hot. Hopefully this will be resolved by next week.

I will keep you posted on the progress.

Fridays have definitely not been the same without the charity cupcakes!

Take care and have a good weekend,

Imtithaal

Charity Cupcake Friday – the realisation of a dream

Changing the world one love velvet at a time :)

Fulfilling Ihata Shelter’s dream of a couch for their TV room

I am absolutely grateful to the people at Tafelberg Furnishers, in particular Denise Bingle and Heinrich Slabbert, who have made it possible for me to purchase a couch for Ihata Shelter (something that was on their wish list) with the proceeds of #CharityCupcakeFriday. 

On Monday I emailed a number of places explaining to them what #CharityCupcakeFriday was all about and that I wanted to buy a couch for Ihata Shelter. Denise Bingle at the Tafelberg Furnishers head office in Bellville called me back that morning to let me know that they would like to assist me. 

She told me to go to any of their stores and pick the couch that I liked and to contact her with the details so that she could arrange a discount. On Wednesday (11 September 2013) I quickly popped to the Bellville store and met both Denise and Heinrich. Heinrich showed me a few options and I immediately liked this David 2-piece corner suite. It fit all my criteria of what a couch should be for the shelter. It is durable, in a dark colour and is comfortable to relax in. The only problem was that it exceeded my budget quite a bit. 

This stunning couch is going to a deserving home

When I got back to the office I had an email from Heinrich advising me that Tafelberg Furnishers would like to offer me the couch at a substantial discount, including delivery! Words cannot express how grateful I am to everyone who has supported the #CharityCupcakeFriday initiative and who have contributed to the success of this endeavour. I would like to thank Tafelberg Furnishers for their generosity as I would not have been able to fulfil Ihata Shelter’s dream without them. I know that the couch is going to look very stylish in its new home and it will bring much joy to the residents of the shelter.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the success
 of the #CharityCupcakeFriday initiative

While I was at the Tafelberg Furnishers Bellville store I was perusing their wide-range of furniture and appliances. They stock all the renowned brands, including the SMEG range which I absolutely love. Feel free to check out their website as they have a number of specials available. 

It warms my heart that they are so caring and supportive towards the less fortunate. I will definitely be doing my shopping here as a new homeowner! 

Take care,

Imtithaal

Charity Cupcake Friday – Week 4

Changing the world one love velvet at a time :)

Charity Cupcakes for Rosh Hashanah

Happy #CharityCupcakeFriday Everybody! :) It’s been another successful week and I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported this initiative. This week I managed to make 72 cupcakes (15 were for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year) and raise R790. I got a few extra Rands as a donation for the charity. So to-date I’ve accumulated R4020. Not bad at all for the four week run.

Preparing lunch

I am excited to announce the beneficiary that the proceeds of #CharityCupcakeFriday will be going to. It is Ihata Shelter on the Cape Flats. They are doing such amazing work for women who come from abusive circumstances (whether physical, emotional or drug-related). They are the only Muslim shelter in Cape Town. They are partners of the Haven Night Shelter and are funded by the Islamic Relief Agency and An Australian organisation. Yesterday I met with Siddeeqa Gierdien, the Social Worker , at Ihata and she told me a bit about the organisation and the work that they do.

The sewing corner

They provide shelter for women from 24 hours to 6 months, including their children. They have a skills development officer who assists in upskilling  the women and they are instrumental in placing them in employment. There is an onsite crèche where the womens’ children go and it is open to the community as well. Currently they only have 3 children from the community who attend the crèche, besides the residents. 

The Library

They provide different kinds of therapy to help these women deal with their situations. They have an organic garden which forms part of their therapy and they tend to and plant an array of vegetables. They have a sewing room as well as a library. All the facilities are maintained by the residents and they clean and cook while staying there. They also receive something called Journey Therapy, which helps them understand their journey and why they’ve made certain choices in their lives. They also receive touch therapy in terms of massages and have a Pilates instructor who gives them classes. They centre has a very holistic approach to healing. They also try and rehabilitate and coach these women and their families and try and place them back with them.

The Organic Garden, which is beautifully maintained

The centre was recently painted by Melomed. It is very well maintained but very basic. I have requested that they send me a list of things that they require and I will post this on my blog. I will be using the proceeds of #CharityCupcakeFriday to buy Organic Seedlings for their garden, as well as groceries and toiletries. I will also have a look at what else I can get them from the list they provide. They have a number of babies at the Shelter as well so diapers and formula are things they always need.  

While we were meeting we were interrupted by a little boy who was removed from his mother’s care because she lives in the area and is a renowned tik-addict. He has latched onto Siddeeqa because he has no other family staying with him at the shelter. 

Growing goodness

Just on a personal note, I will be moving house in the next few weeks and have been delaying packing up our stuff. Unfortunately, I will have to postpone #CharityCupcakeFriday for the next three weeks because all our things will be boxed up. I have a few orders, during this time, which I will need to fulfil because I’ve given people my word. But don’t worry, #CharityCupcakeFriday will resume in October with a bang and I’ll be raising funds for a Cancer Charity. 

I’m still trying to decide whether to continue making these #lovevelvets (red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting) or to try something different. I was thinking about doing a vanilla cupcake with a caramel centre and a meringue frosting that is slightly browned with a blow torch :) I’ve just ordered one!!! Feel free to let me know what you’d like. 

12 Charity Cupcakes boxed and ready for delivery

I’ve also decided to sponsor two kids in the Santa Shoebox Project while #CharityCupcakeFriday is on a sabbatical.

That’s it for now.

Have a fantastic  #CharityCupcakeFriday

Imtithaal

Charity Cupcake Friday – Week 3

Changing the world one love velvet at a time :)

So this is the third week of Charity Cupcake Friday. Last night I baked 96 cupcakes and was up at 5am

96 cupcakes

frosting them. While I was doing this, I remembered a presentation I attended earlier this year when Robin Sharma was in the country. He was on a promotional tour for his book ‘The leader who had no title’. I can’t remember where exactly the reference in the book is but he said something about finding happiness in the service of other people. He also speaks about the 5 ‘o clock club. I’ve been threatening to write a post about my attendance at this event and to do a book review forever. This will follow shortly :)  

Coming back to his philosophy, which must have been imprinted in my mind because a few weeks ago when I was struggling to look beyond some of the immediate challenges I was faced with, my subconscious somehow conjured up this idea of Charity Cupcake Friday. I can’t begin to describe the immense happiness I’ve been feeling this last while. I’ve just been filled with gratitude and appreciation. Firstly being able to do something I love (baking) and then using this skill to raise some funds to help a shelter for abused women. 

a box of 12 cupcakes ready for delivery

The whole experience has just highlighted how willing people are to extend a hand to those who need it, if we are open to it. I’ve received so much support, words of encouragement and well wishes for this initiative. Shaheema Barodien donated the majority of this week’s ingredients and it cost in excess of R500! I’ve said this before, but for those who haven’t heard it, I do believe that the best quality ingredients result in the best tasting goods. As such, you would have seen my posts on Twitter and Facebook about ‘only the best ingredients’ for Charity Cupcake Friday. I use free range eggs, unsalted butter and cream cheese just to name a few. You can read my post and watch my video demonstration on how to make these love velvets here.

A box of 6 cupcakes ready for deliver. check out the fancy stickers :)

I’d like to thank each and every person who has supported this initiative and continues to do so. I sold the 96 cupcakes in a matter of minutes. Most of these were just orders placed through word of mouth and also because of my activity on the various social media platforms to create awareness about Charity Cupcake Friday. I do hope that this is something that will cotton on and that it will just snowball. I also received a donation from a very special lady, who has a heart of gold and an immense caring nature. She will take her last to give to someone who she feels is more deserving although she needs it just as much. 

Mikhail enjoying a love velvet.
He is a Charity Cupcake Friday
 supporter first and a Bulls supporter second :)

Getting back to the initiative for women’s month, I’ve managed to raise R3 230 in total. I will be visiting the shelter this coming Wednesday and chatting to them about how I can assist. I will be posting some pictures and the story regarding what the money was used for in an upcoming post so keep following me.

I’ve also decided that during the month of October, I’d like to support a cancer charity because this cause lies close to my family’s heart. Also, the pink Kitchen Aid machine I have was created to raise awareness for breast cancer and they even donated some of the money to this cause. I’m not sure what kind of cakes I’ll be making yet but rest assured that they will be delicious.

Thanks for reading!

Have a good weekend,

Imtithaal

Charity Cupcake Friday – Week 2

Changing the world one love velvet at a time :)

I only use the best ingredients #Nomucocoa

I am feeling so grateful and blessed for the amazing support I’ve been receiving for Charity Cupcake Friday. It is only week 2 but the contributions (in both cash and kind) have been phenomenal! I never dreamt that my decision to do something good for someone else could snowball like it has and since the last time I posted, I have managed to raise R2220.00.

My intention is to help a shelter for abused women in whichever way I can. I have been in contact with the shelter and am busy making arrangements to visit and find out how I can assist them (more details to follow shortly).

So my intention was to make 48 cupcakes for Charity Cupcake Friday for every Friday in August. But I’ve been inundated with requests and this week (23 August 2013) I ended up making 72 cupcakes!

72 Charity Cupcakes on 23 August 2013

I’ve been so excited all week to be able to bake these red velvets and when my alarm went off at 5am this morning I didn’t snooze nearly as many times as I usually do! I’ve been feeling such a sense of fulfilment and gratitude and I can’t wait to do more and more.

There are so many people who have extended their support and I’d like to acknowledge some of them here:

Sharon's standing order of 6 cupcakes

Sharon Keanly, a colleague and fellow blogger of Sharon’s Kardz Korner has placed a standing order of 6 cupcakes for every week that I continue this initiative. She also continues to offer amazing words of motivation and inspiration. Sharon is extremely creative and makes the most gorgeous cards. This morning she offered to make me stickers for the boxes (pics to follow), which the cupcakes come in when I deliver them.




One of my blog followers, Phalistiny donated 100 cupcakes to the charity as well as the R1000 that I would have generated if I sold them.

a box of 12 Charity Cupcakes

Tariq Jacobs, who owns his own graphic and web design company, has offered to make a flyer to publicise Charity Cupcake Friday.

My colleagues, Alicia van der Westhuizen, Ayiesha Kamish and Beaunita Roman have bought half of today’s batch.

Two other colleagues of mine, Deidre Vorster and Mimi Pienaar have also supported this initiative.

Waleed Dawood also supported today's initiative by purchasing 6 cupcakes.

And last but not least, Rabia Jakoet bought 10 cupcakes and is coming to collect them later.

I am looking forward to next week and celebrating Charity Cupcake Friday. My wish is to eventually get sponsorships for the ingredients so that I can continue to make even more cupcakes and continue to change the world one cupcake at a time, by adding a little sweetness to someone else’s life!

Have a great day!
Imtithaal


Click here to read more about why I started the Charity Cupcake Friday initiative on Friday, 16 August 2013.