SA Girl Brings Hope – “Everyone Deserves a Cake Made With Love”

Nerine Gardiner takes the cake. Well actually, she gives the cake…to all kinds of deserving people. Nerine is the wonderful ‘girl’ behind “Girl with Cake”, a beautiful initiative run on the belief that everyone deserves a cake made with love.

Nerine lovingly bakes the most exquisite and delicious cakes (see her website for photos and recipes!)…and then finds – and surprises – the most deserving of people to give them to…bringing more than just a moment of joy to their life, but an everlasting memory of hope, connection and that wonderful feeling of being cared for.

On her Facebook page, Nerine says there’s “something about a beautiful, over-the-top, delicately frosted cake that, for a few moments, makes all the bad go away. Maybe it’s the time and care that goes into planning, baking, frosting and perfecting. Maybe it’s because we associate cake with celebration and joy. Or maybe it’s just the idea that something delicious is waiting for us.

“Whatever the reason, cake brings a unique happiness that everyone deserves to feel. So, for those less fortunate, for those who’ve been dealt a raw deal in life, and for those who just deserve some more love, I’ll find them. And, for a few moments, they too will feel the joy of cake.”

[quote_center]”the moment you stop seeing the good in other people, you lose the ability to be good yourself”[/quote_center]

Today she posted photos of her 51st cake (plus more)…and it’s gone viral (see below).

We asked Nerine to tell us a little more about herself, her initiative…and how we can all get involved:

When did you start this venture?

I started in January 2014, so it’s been a little over a year now.

What inspired you to start this in the first place?

It’s quite a long story that involved getting treated badly by some people and losing all my faith in humanity.

When I told an ex-creative director of mine what had happened and how I felt, he said that the moment you stop seeing the good in other people, you lose the ability to be good yourself.  I didn’t expect that from him, and it really made me look at myself and very closely at others, and I ended up finding a lot of good.

One week in Jan 2014 though, I felt weighed down by all the negativity in the media, etc. and so I baked a cake, put a massive effort into making it something that I would bake for a friend or family member…and then drove into the streets of Cape Town to find someone to give it to.

And that was it. I decided then though that I wouldn’t limit who I was giving cake to – they could be homeless people, sick people, people who inspire me with their hard work, people who are unnecessarily kind…anyone.

What’s your ‘normal’ day job?

I’m a copywriter at FoxP2 Johannesburg. It’s a great place to work and I get a lot of support from co-workers and my bosses.

How often do you make and give away these cakes?

I aim for once a week.

Do you do this on your own or with anyone else?

I bake on my own, with the financial support of some amazing people from all over the world, and then my husband helps me with the cake deliveries and photos… and dishes.

How are you spreading this around the country? You have other cities in South Africa on your website.

A while ago I realised that other people wanted to do the same thing, but weren’t sure what to do or if they could, so I started Cake in Every City. It’s a part of the blog dedicated to other people giving cake wherever they are. I upload photos and their stories, with the hope that more people will join in the giving – even if it’s not cake.

What is your dream, your goal? 

Well, I’m still hoping to extend the blog to go further than cake. The whole point was never cake, but rather giving love and kindness. At the moment though, I’m still getting used to living and working in Johannesburg and a few big life changes that have come with it, so that’s become a bit of a future dream.

Other than that, I really just want people to know that they aren’t alone in caring about others. And that even if you do something small for someone else, that’s still a little seed of goodness that you’ve planted. Who knows what will grow from it? It’s always worth it to be kind.

Today’s Story – Giving the 51st Cake!

Here’s Nerine’s latest story that appears on her website and her facebook page:

“My parents thought it wise to name me after a mermaid.” I said to the man seated on the cold pavement in front of me. He let out a raspy laugh. “Mine is strong…” he said, “…in the Bible, he broke the chains.” He lifted his arms into the air and pulled the imaginary chains from his arms. Samson. His name is Samson.

Samson had been sitting at a quiet intersection in Sandton. He was clutching a white cardboard sign that asked for help, a job, something to eat, change.

“It’s Sunday,” I said, “And it’s cold and I just thought maybe I could do something for you.” I had slung a Blessings Bag over my shoulder, clutched a gift bag in my hand and held the cake covered in Lindt ganache and Lindor balls in front of me.

Samson’s face crinkled in confusion.

So I hunched down beside him and handed him the cake. “I hope you like chocolate.” His crinkles unfolded into a smile as he took hold of the cake, leaning forward and kissing the Lindor chocolates on top. I guess that means yes, I thought.

As I handed him the gift bag, his face broke into a wrinkled laugh and he started pulling out its contents – the warm hoody, the leather shoes and then the new pack of underpants, “Ha!” His laugh exploded. I could feel a bit of embarrassment flush my cheeks – it’s not every day that I give underpants to strange men, but I’d been wondering all week where on earth you get underpants when you’re living on the street. So there they were.

I pushed my embarrassment aside, pulling the Blessings Bag off my shoulder. Samson’s mouth fell open as he began digging through the bag, stopping on the soap, “Toiletries!”

A moment later, Samson clutched his forehead between his hands and shook his head, “Ohhhh, God bless you, God bless you…”

“And you, Samson.”

We sat together and spoke for a while longer. About the cold. About our families. About living in Johannesburg. About looking out for each other because if we didn’t, who would?

Thank you to Lucinda Wallis for making this cake possible, to Liezl Degenaar for making the gift possible, to Morné Strydom for the leather shoes and to Chantél Hamman for the Blessings Bag.

Watch Video – Girl Bakes Cakes for the Needy as a Way to Give them Home

If you would like to get involved:

Nerine says: “For the bakers out there, I’m always trying to encourage others to do the same – bake for someone – a stranger, someone who seems down or sad or like they need a lift, someone who works hard through tough times, anyone. They can send me a photo or two (even if it’s just of them or the cake… sometimes it’s hard getting those “giving” pics) and a short description of what happened and what they took from the experience…and then I can share their story with others on Cake in Every City.

“For the non-bakers, if they’d like to sponsor a cake or just donate a little bit towards it, or even donate some clothes or a care package or something, they can also contact me – girlwithcakeblog @ gmail.com”

[vc_button title=”Visit Girl with Cake Website” target=”_blank” color=”default” size=”size_large2″ href=”http://www.girlwithcake.co.za”]