Can you bake the world a better place? At Red Cross, we think so!
Big Cake Bake is a fun and easy way to make a difference to people’s lives.
When you enjoy a slice of cake and a cuppa at a Big Cake Bake event the money raised will help connect more people to their strengths, each other and to the things we all need to build good lives.
Your Big Cake Bake will support some of these important programs:
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Read on to see how you’ll be making the world better, one bite at a time.
Help young people in crisis feel human again
"Growing up, I had a hard home life. I never felt like I fit in or that my family appreciated me. I honestly believe I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't found the Night Café," says Nah.
When Nah first walked through the door of our Brisbane café, they were just out of high school, trying to put themselves through university. "I was 17 and struggling to find a community. I wasn't homeless, but I felt very much without a home.”
Our Night Café is a safe after-hours space for 12 to 25-year-olds experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Run by a team of volunteers and youth workers, it opens for two hours every Tuesday and Thursday night, underneath the Brisbane City Hall.
We offer young people free healthy meals, hot showers, toiletries, clothing and activities. It is a place where they can find conversation, community, a listening ear and connections to specialist support services.
"We’re one of the last safety nets in my city for young people who slip through the gaps and have nowhere to go for help," says youth worker Alex McDonald. "Our café is a place where people can feel human again.
When you host your feel-good event this Spring you’ll be bringing comfort and support without judgement to young people at risk of homelesness, giving them a community and a sense of purpose and belonging.
$25
Could pay for hot, healthy meals for young people sleeping rough.
$50
Could help provide tea, coffee and other welcoming items for our community hubs.
Provide support through the good times and the bad
For Rita, her Red Cross visitor is more than a friend. She is like a sister. And on the hard days of life, Lyn helps her find the sunny side.
Rita is almost 80 and lives alone. She was born in Indonesia and moved to Australia decades ago, but most of her family is in Malaysia. When she is missing them or is worried, it really helps to have someone to talk to, she says.
That conversation and companionship help, too, when she is not feeling well. “It’s good to talk. Sometimes, if I have pain, I have pain everywhere … All last night, I couldn’t sleep because [of it]. But if someone talks to you, the pain goes away.”
Every Thursday, they catch up and spend time together. Some days you will find them working in the sunshine in Rita’s small garden.
“We’re good friends. We tell each other lots of things, and we have a good laugh,” says Lyn, a Red Cross volunteer.
Lyn, who retired after decades as a nurse, says volunteering with Red Cross is the best thing she has ever done. "I enjoy meeting and talking with people. I felt I had a lot to give.”
And for Rita, whose second language is English, life is better with Lyn at her side. “This [is] easy talking … I thought this is my sister.”
When you connect with your friends and family this Spring, you're helping older, isolated people connect with the community and feel supported and valued.
$50
Could help provide welfare phone calls to older, isolated people, helping them to feel safe, connected and valued.
$120
Could provide a personal, fortnightly visit from a Red Cross team member to someone living on their own.
