Twice a year, we go beyond our everyday loaves and cookies to make the holidays a little brighter for our neighbors: Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls on the donation Sunday before Thanksgiving, and Baking Spirits Bright Holiday Treat Boxes on the final donation Sunday of the calendar year. Both are optional, and both are some of the most joyful baking of the year. We hope you'll join in!
What Are Special Donations
Special donations are our way of adding a little extra heart to the holidays. The holidays are a busy and often challenging season for our food bank partners and their clients. A basket of soft dinner rolls or a beautifully boxed batch of cookies says someone cared.
For bakers, it's a fun change of pace from the everyday loaf. And if it's not your thing, that's okay. You're always welcome to donate your regular loaves and cookies.
Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls
Picture a Thanksgiving table with a basket of warm, homemade rolls. Your baking helps make that happen. Our food banks build Thanksgiving meal boxes for their clients, and dinner rolls make them feel like a holiday meal.
When: the donation Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Option 1: Turn your favorite bread recipe into rolls. Any of our signature recipes works, and it's easier than you might think. Choose your shaping method:
- 60g dough balls (make them larger if you wish)
- Pull-apart rolls
Option 2: Bake Super Soft Dinner Rolls for something different. This recipe from celebrated baker and author Maurizio Leo of The Perfect Loaf is pillowy, tender and a real crowd-pleaser.
Packaging: bundle 8–10 rolls per bag. Just like our loaves, rolls freeze beautifully, so you can bake ahead. There's nothing special to order.
- If you converted one of our bread recipes, use that recipe's bread bag.
- If you made Super Soft Dinner Rolls, use any of our bread bags and add the special ingredient sticker from your hub leader. Super Soft stickers are available through hubs only, so Direct Ship bakers can join in with Option 1.
Rolls bundled 8–10 per bag
Super Soft Dinner Rolls sticker, from your hub leader
Baking Spirits Bright Holiday Treat Boxes
Baking Spirits Bright is our favorite holiday tradition. Our final donation of the year includes a beautifully packaged box of holiday cookies, baked from the heart for a neighbor who could use a lift. An unexpected gift like this can make someone's whole season. See the story behind it and how many boxes our bakers have shared on the Baking Spirits Bright page.
How It Works
- When: the final donation Sunday of the calendar year, before many food banks close for the holidays.
- What to bake: this year's holiday cookies, Spumoni Shortbread and Holiday Shortbread Squares.
- Packaging kits are free to volunteers, thanks to generous donors. New this year, you order them yourself under Order Supplies on your volunteer dashboard. Local bakers receive kits with their supply order; Direct Ship kits are mailed to you.
- What's in a kit: a collapsed box to fold, parchment tissue, a gold stretchy cord and an ingredient label. Everything you need to make it gift-ready.
- How many kits do I need? One kit makes one treat box. A batch of Spumoni Shortbread fills 5 boxes (12 cookies each). A batch of Holiday Shortbread Squares fills 3 boxes (16 cookies each).
- Bake ahead: both cookies freeze well, packed in their boxes.
- Boxing: watch the cutting and boxing video.
Host a Holiday Packing or Baking Event
Baking is better together! Gather friends, family, coworkers or your hub for an afternoon of baking or boxing. It's a wonderful way to share the season and multiply what one kitchen can do.
Request kits for your group through your hub leader, or order them online as a personal order.