The much-anticipated National Cupcake Day 4 Kids with Cancer will be held at 17 malls across the Western Cape on Saturday 28 September. Somerset Mall is one of the participating venues.
The event has been held since 2012 to raise funds for Cupcakes of Hope, an NPC and PBO that supplies assistance and support to the families and children who are diagnosed with cancer.
“We have assisted more than 10 000 patients over the past 10 years,” said Sandy Cipriano, founder of Cupcakes of Hope. “My husband and I started to raise funds for children with cancer when a friend lost her three-year-old to cancer. In 2012, we registered the non-profit Cupcakes of Hope. Since then, via the community-driven National Cupcake Days, over R10 million has been raised to provide for hundreds of young cancer patients and their families every month. This includes covering their medical bills and other essential needs, from nappies to nutrition and everything in between. The youngest patient that has been helped was only four months old when diagnosed.”
Oncologists, hospitals, social workers and hospices all contact Cupcakes of Hope with requests to assist. They also assist with requests from the Cancer Association of South Africa’s (Cansa) Tough Living with Cancer (TLC) programme that focuses on supporting the parents and caregivers of young cancer patients.
“The partnership is a continued strength of support for us, helping with several care and support packs for our little ones and parents,” said Anina Meiring, Cansa’s service manager for childhood cancer.
The Cupcake Angels (volunteer bakers) are the foundation that supports everything that is done by the NPO. Located around the country, they make and sell cupcakes and donate the funds to Cupcakes of Hope.
First-year mall coordinator Annelize Orton is also the new marketing manager at Mountain Mill Shopping Centre in Worcester. “In the past, whenever Cupcakes of Hope held events at Mountain Mill, I made it a point to buy cupcakes and show my support,” says Orton.
“It became even more personal when my second cousin’s child, Teagan, was diagnosed. Even though I never met Teagan, following his journey was heart-wrenching. Seeing a child struggle with cancer and feeling the helplessness of his family deeply affected me. When Teagan got his angel wings, my heart broke into a million pieces. It was a devastating moment that reinforced my desire to help in any way I can.”
Since 2020, the number of patients supported by the organisation has quadrupled. Between January and July this year, 1 608 financial requests have been received, with 334 of them for patients in the Western Cape. Cupcakes of Hope are currently averaging around 220 requests for financial assistance per month.
Catherine Rall, the Zevenwacht Mall coordinator, first started supporting the organisation in 2018, when she baked and donated her first batch of cupcakes for National Cupcake Day. “My son had childhood cancer when he was a year old in 2009,” Rall related.
“Because of this experience and what we went through as parents, I wanted to start supporting a cause that assisted children with cancer with a positive impact. During 2023 I signed up to be a Cupcakes of Hope brand ambassador and this year, decided to up my game and become a mall coordinator at Zevenwacht Mall. I can’t wait for National Cupcake Day 2024.”
Cipriano said Cupcakes of Hope has been blessed with “amazing” volunteers. “Thousands of bakers and volunteers give their time, ingredients, love and passion all year, every year,” she said. “There is honestly nothing sweeter to me than seeing the excitement and joy that everyone shows on our biggest day of the year – National Cupcake Day. From the feedback that we get from the public, they enjoy it too.”
Registration to bake and participate in National Cupcake Day 4 Kids with Cancer, is now open. People can also participate by buying cupcakes on the day at any of the malls: 3 Arts Village (Plumstead); Blue Route Mall; Bredasdorp; Canal Walk Shopping Centre; Cape Gate Shopping Centre; Howard Centre (Pinelands); Liberty Promenade Mall; Longbeach Mall (Noordhoek); Mountain Mill; N1 City Mall; Paarl Mall; Somerset Mall; Table Bay Mall; Tygervalley Shopping Centre; Weskus Mall; Whale Coast Hermanus; and Zevenwacht Mall.
