Apparently, Monday is charity cake day. I learned this from the incomparable Jay! On Monday, I left one job to start a new one the next day. Of course, Jay and I had to spend my last day of freedom enjoying lunch on the Trio patio and delivering cakes for Charity Cake Monday!
Who's Jay? you may be asking yourself. Well, I could go on for hours about the fun thing I attend with Jay--Oscar parties, HRC Galas, Utah Arts Council events and more. But, all you really need to know is this: American Express, eBay, Jay Shaffer!
But, back to Charity Cake Monday. You see, Jay loves Betty Crocker (yes, the maker of the all the mixes and tubs of frosting) and he loves a coupon. As such, he has hundreds of boxed cake mixes and tubs of frosting just waiting to be used. It wasn't unusual to have a couple of cakes or a few dozen cupcakes sitting int he break room on Monday morning (this was back when I worked with Jay and got to see him everyday!) Now that Jay has been in Salt Lake for 18 months, he has his own consulting firm and is heavily involved in several charities (he's a giver!) The cakes are no longer for the staff but are now designated for all his various charities (or the occasional to the doggie day care where LJ--the cutest three-legged chihuahua you've ever seen--spends his time). Hence, he's adopted Charity Cake Monday as one of his new "causes"! And of course, Charity Cake day falls on Monday; Sunday is the perfect day to bake.
So, this past Monday, my last day of freedom before starting this new job (more to come about this later, I promise), I had the privilege of being a participant in Charity Cake Monday. After tying up a few loose ends, I met Jay for lunch (one of our favorite dining experiences--a gorgeous Monday on the Cafe Trio patio; we're "ladies who lunch"!) Upon meeting him, I learned we had a few cakes to deliver before and after lunch. So, before heading into Trio we stopped at Planned Parenthood. For anyone who has never had the opportunity, witnessing Jay in action is a treat! We run into the building; a cake is dropped on to a desk; Jay says "tell them Jay Shaffer stopped by" and we're out! No fan-fare; because of course everyone knows Jay Shaffer!
The next cake is delivered after lunch to the Utah Museum of Natural History. Again, we run in with a cake with the intention of running out quickly. I guess Jay is far more popular at the museum as we were there for a total of 3 minutes (as opposed to the 30 seconds at Planned Parenthood). The few people we saw at the museum were so thrilled and grateful to have received a cake! The funniest thing Jay said upon leaving the museum, "Why give $10 to the homeless shelter when for a $1.75 you can win the love of an entire museum!" (and, for those who don't know Jay--he is the most kind, generous and giving person I know! so, if you're offended by this statement, you obviously don't know Jay!)
I can't wait until I get to participate in Charity Cake Monday again. And, maybe someday I'll start my own version of Charity Cake Monday (which will most definitely include cupcakes! and probably cookies) Now, I just need to find some charities that are deserving of my amazing baking. Any suggestions?
2 comments:
I love this and totally want to instigate a Cake Monday. I'd start with neighbors and then expand to the girls dance and gym teachers and then to the secretaries. Oh what fun. Thanks Mel (and Jay) for the great idea.
I need to be better about doing this. I'm good at providing this service for a couple of weeks and then I just get too busy. Definitely something I aspire to do better!
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