Word on the Street Issue 17, December 2021
On December 18, a few talented bakers will host the Xtreme Holiday Pop-Up Bake Shop at our building at 4308 W State Street in Boise from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stop by to pick up delicious cookies, cupcakes, and crumble pies.
THE BAKERS:
Betsy Jane Wells of Betsy’s Cookie Co. can be found volunteering in the food trailer at Interfaith Sanctuary when she’s not busy making beautifully decorated cookies. She has always loved baking and started Betsy’s Cookie Co. after years of baking for family and friends. For the Xtreme, the cookies she’s making include her regular recipe (a cross between a sugar and butter cookie), chocolate chip, chocolate peppermint, and cinnamon roll. The polar bears, Christmas trees, gnomes, santas, and Christmas stockings will be decorated with royal icing.
“I love the work Interfaith does, I love the staff, I love the guests,” Betsy said. “It’s a time of year where I think a lot of the homeless community can feel alone and forgotten. I think even besides the money that gets donated to the shelter it’s about showing up for these people to support them as individuals and letting them know there are people out there that believe in them, respect them, care for them, and are willing to help.”
Suzanne Stigers is making 150 of her famous crumble pies. She concocted the recipe during the pandemic and they are to die for! The mini pies have a crumble topping on them made of brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and powdered sugar and will come in apple, cherry, and blueberry flavor. Suzanne and her family started a charity in New Jersey called Connect for Community to address the food insecurity crisis after the 2008 recession. It grew over the course of 12 years to support 40 different food pantries and soup kitchens across northern New Jersey.
“We’ve seen the effects of homelessness and used to do a program called Cooking with Coupons where we would teach families of four how to eat for $50 a week or less,” she said. Sometimes people just need support and sometimes life is just hard to navigate. We have to help those among us that need help. You buying some pies means that somebody else doesn’t have to sleep outside tonight. It’s a tangible, real thing. It could mean somebody not breaking their sobriety and falling off the wagon. I just think we have a social responsibility to one another.”
Christy & Grace Little are making lemon, chocolate, and vanilla cupcakes. In the past, the mother-daughter-duo has baked over 600 cupcakes for the Xtreme Holiday Xtravaganza. In 2017, Grace started a nonprofit called Celebrating Hopes and Dreams (CHAD) and began hosting birthday parties and arts & crafts nights for kids in Interfaith Sanctuary’s family program. When the pandemic hit, they had to stop and haven’t been able to have a party in about two years. But, the way they would fund the activities was through selling cupcakes.
“It’s so much fun,” Christy said. “We are very excited to be baking again and this is our first pop-up shop. I think a lot of people want to get involved in the community but either don’t know what to do or don’t have time. Fundraisers like this are a great way for those people to contribute to Interfaith and make a difference in people’s lives. The families that we got to know at Interfaith certainly changed our lives. That’s why we do it.”
