498114 Tue Mar 11 13:53:45 -0700 2008 19 29 Not About Food 0 3482810 Hello, O wise, great, and wonderful Chowhounds. A bunch of us (we live in Southern California--South Bay area) are planning to hold a charity bake sale, but we are having a problem finding a venue. We won't need a kitchen. We considered renting a booth at a local Farmer's Market, but we would need a kitchen permit of some sort (this, in spite of not needing a kitchen). I also checked other possible venues (say, a flea market, fairgrounds, etc.) and they were all pretty strict with respect to selling food. It sounds like lots of permits--and costly ones at that--involved. Do any of you have any tips for me? I am not religious, but live next to a church and have access to two other churches (one being my mother's). Would we NOT need food permits if we used church sites to sell our baked goods? What other venues would you recommend? I'm guessing that no matter which venue we choose, a portion of the profits would have to go to that organization, in addition to our charity target. Any tips? Tue Mar 11 13:53:45 -0700 2008 12437 Pamela 1 3482836 I work on a university campus and often see various organizations hosting bake sales. Perhaps there is a school nearby where you could have a table? Good cause + homeade goodies + college kids = success Also, the organization you wish to support may have some ideas. Perhpas they have a relationship with a shop owner that would let you set up a table outside their store. I would call and talk to the organization's development director. Last, consider having both sweet and savory treats at the bake sale. Some folks would be more tempted by a ham and cheese scone than a cookie. Good luck and kudos for doing something for your community. Tue Mar 11 14:00:23 -0700 2008 3482810 95754 Honey Bee 2 3482887 Thank you so much for these tips, Honey Bee. They are very helpful. Great tip, especially, with respect to having more hearty (and saltier) food, in addition to the usual sweets. Any other advice Chowhounds can give me? Tue Mar 11 14:12:41 -0700 2008 3482836 12437 Pamela 3 3488695 We have a friend whose child was found to have a huge tumor and needed immediate surgery- all is great now- but all of us thought we'd have a bake sale to help....And we were all novices. We are in Central Cali. We held ours at a local market- and they were nice enough to provide coffee and tables for us. We asked people to bake and package goods- and label as well with ingredients as well as their name- I put address labels on mine- I felt it made them "safe", like a halloween goodie. Alot of folks locally were a little put off that we didn't have a tax number thingie- usually a charitable group would have a tax id, so one could write off the donation- maybe talk to someone at your local bank to see if they can help set up a account for you? There is a group that will provide matching funds for you- scan the internet for ideas and see what you come up with- sorry I cannot provide a name. Maybe a local Elks group, Lions group? My friend found a group on line that matched 15%. I was so proud that a cake I made brought in $20.00, a out of town family bought it- they wee camping at a local lake and had come to get some groceries- and they left with a cake- Elvis Presely Cake- that I read about here on Chowhound! Good Luck to you- a hearty HELLO and a smile go along way in bringing sales, and chocolate helps too- the savory idea is a great suggestion! Thu Mar 13 09:04:28 -0700 2008 3482887 12388 JalamaMama 4 3488820 Hi JM and Pamela, FYI, people who purchase a baked good at a charity bake sale are not entitled to a tax receipt because they are getting a good in return for their donation. Unless they are paying way above market value price for the cookie, it is not considered a charitable donation. For example: purchase a large cookie for $2 at charity bake sale= no tax benefit purchase a large cookie for $200 at charity bake sale= tax benefit around $198. give $20 to charity and get nothing in return= tax benefit Disclaimer: I am not an accountant or attorney, but have come across this issue many times and have consulted with tax professionals on it. Thu Mar 13 09:31:59 -0700 2008 3488695 95754 Honey Bee 5 3489019 Your interpretation is consistent with the revenue rulings of the IRS. Generally, you can declare a tax deduction for any contribution in excess of the fair market value of anything you receive from the organization. For example, if you contribute $100k to State U. and they give you box seats for football and basketball woth $5k, you can generally deduct $95k. Thu Mar 13 10:11:52 -0700 2008 3488820 12471 jlawrence01 4 3490921 lol @ Elvis Presley cake. I had to do a search for the Elvis Presley cake, because I didn't know what it was. Thought it might be deep-fried cake or something. Pound cake. Close enough. Now when you say you held your bake sale at a local market, do you mean your local grocery store (Ralphs, etc.)? Perhaps that is an option. I struck out with a church. Didn't think I would be successful. Thu Mar 13 19:01:32 -0700 2008 3488695 12437 Pamela 5 3492627 Number one, the Elvis cake is AWESOME, it is now a regular feature at family gatherings- it is so rich and good, that a small thin slice covers it for most folks- the kids eat huge portions of course. We held the bake sale at a local (family owned) market, that is well know for supporting local causes/kid clubs/fund raisers. Why not have it at school- on a friday, say at pick up time? Advertise and keep things priced to sell- and priced to not need change- $5.00, $10.00 etc., I am guessing you have kids...If so, do it at a school function and split the sales with a school affiliated cause? Things aren't like they used to be, simple and easy. Fri Mar 14 10:05:59 -0700 2008 3490921 12388 JalamaMama 6 3493173 Any chance you would be willing to post your recipe for the Elvis cake? I'm sure there are many recipes out there, but yours sounds great. Fri Mar 14 12:07:09 -0700 2008 3492627 12437 Pamela 7 3493184 Please post any recipes on the Home Cooking board. By the way, there have been some great threads about the Elvis cake on that board. Fri Mar 14 12:08:50 -0700 2008 3493173 2 The Chowhound Team 7 3494577 Pamela, this is the thread all about the Elvis cake: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/438182 Fri Mar 14 20:16:36 -0700 2008 3493173 10074 Caitlin McGrath 7 3495490 I do the recipe that comes off a web/food blog our of Philadelphia- and messed with it a tad. It is on the link provided below. I use prepackeged banana cake mix and mix in 2 crushed bananas. I use peanut butter chips/choco chips on top. And roasted walnuts too. GREAT CAKE- thank you to whoever originally posted the recipe on the recipe board!!!!! Sat Mar 15 10:18:48 -0700 2008 3493173 12388 JalamaMama 1 3489071 In addition to savory items, don't forget drinks. Juice boxes, bottles of juice squeeze and chocolate milk from a place like Costco are very profitable. I'd avoid regular soft drinks. Thu Mar 13 10:25:09 -0700 2008 3482810 11231 Glencora 1 3489998 My only major tip is that you go down IN PERSON and find out from the OC Health Department what is required for you to do what you want to do. In most municipalities, even NONPROFITS **MUST*** follow all of the rules and regulations pertaining to food service. Here is my portion of Chicagoland, the health department inspectors show up at church dinners with thermometers and the like to ensure that all health codes are being adhered to. They have, on occasion, shut down venues when there are critical violations. To me, it is overkill *BUT* they are charges with food safety responsibilities in the county and you can get just as sick from improperly held fried chicken at a church festival as in a restaurant. One more piece of free advice. Get liability insurance before you sell food. No kidding! Thu Mar 13 13:57:57 -0700 2008 3482810 12471 jlawrence01 2 3490925 All of these permits, licenses, and fees are precisely what we are trying to avoid. It's almost not worth having the bake sale, given the high cost just to secure a venue, permission, etc. I do understand the health/sanitary concerns with selling food, though. Thu Mar 13 19:03:08 -0700 2008 3489998 12437 Pamela 1 3493802 I am big fan of cookies by the pound. Charge X per pound, they load up their tupperware/shoebox/ whatever and weigh it - charge it, you're done. The one I went to was at a LARGE Catholic church and it was GREAT because the congregation came and the community. More $ for the charity. If folks want to make pies, cakes you can sell those, too. You might consider donating some money to the church as a thank you - the janitors or volunteers cleaning/setting up. Fri Mar 14 14:47:46 -0700 2008 3482810 88683 stellamystar 2 3493887 I'm nowhere near California, but here in the Catskills there are any number of local non-profits who raise $$ with bake sales held in the lobbies of local banks. There are two local banks who are just delighted to provide a sheltered spot for a good cause, and they allow them to set up tables and a cash box. They seem to do very well - I always seem to catch them when they have empty tables and are going home! Cupcakes are always a huge hit at our church baked goods sales, as well as individual slices of cakes & pies. Sometimes pies and cakes will sell well for $7 or $8, but sell much better at $1.50 per slice. Use little paper plates and saran wrap, and they're more profitable. Good luck with your cause ! Fri Mar 14 15:12:24 -0700 2008 3493802 143696 Catskillgirl 1 3494112 "We won't need a kitchen. We considered renting a booth at a local Farmer's Market, but we would need a kitchen permit of some sort (this, in spite of not needing a kitchen). I also checked other possible venues (say, a flea market, fairgrounds, etc.) and they were all pretty strict with respect to selling food. It sounds like lots of permits--and costly ones at that--involved." Unfortunately, you're misunderstanding them. You probably do need a kitchen, as home kitchens probably not legal for producing food for sale, nor are they inspected, etc. You can't sell food that was cooked in an uninspected (eg noncommercial) kitchen. It's the law (at least in many jurisdictions--this is not legal advice, you should do your own research or consult a lawyer, etc). Fri Mar 14 16:41:13 -0700 2008 3482810 79880 xanadude 1 3498167 Thank you to everyone for all the great tips. Just out of curiosity: For those of you who have participated in the charity bake sakes, how much money did you make? I'm guessing that bake sales tend not to generate a whole lot of money at all--maybe a few hundreds tops. Sun Mar 16 11:26:39 -0700 2008 3482810 12437 Pamela 1 3559126 I am amazed at the $$$$ brought in by a Cake (Baked goods) auction. Here's a quote from our school's newsletter. "Friends of AEA, family and students are still buzzing about the hugely successful cake auction held the Feb. 23rd. For those who didn’t hear, the auction netted more than $10,000, with one cake going for a whopping $2,500! Andrea*, who baked the record shattering cake, agreed to bake another for $2,000! Special thanks go to Andrea, as well as Bill*, Loulou*, who bid paid $2,500 and $2,000 respectively, and all whom attended an incredible day of fun." It was fun, and as I said, an amazing revenue generator. Thu Apr 03 16:40:25 -0700 2008 3482810 180532 RenSD