Highlights unique giving opportunities beyond regular bread and cookie donations, including seasonal drives like the **Baking Spirits Bright** holiday cookie campaign. These initiatives allow volunteers to contribute festive treats and additional baked goods to support food bank clients during special occasions.
What Are Special Donations
A special donation is a way for us to provide a little extra heart and care to our food bank partners and their clients, specifically around holidays. Baking and donating the special items is fun and adds a little variety and spice to our usual donations. Not your thing, special donations are optional. We have two scheduled special donations in 2025:
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The second donation in November, in preparation for the Thanksgiving Meal boxes our food banks often provide their clients, volunteers are encouraged to convert their bread loaves into rolls. You can use the same packaging. See this video for instructions and recommendations on how to make rolls.
- The second donation in December, 'Tis the Season to extend cheer and best wishes for the New Year! We do this with a signature holiday cookie box. The cookie that is baked is the winner of our annual holiday cookie competition. Click here to see a list of the 2023 winner and all the entries.
Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls
On our donation date before Thanksgiving, everyone has the option of donating our regular bread and energy cookies, or if you like, you can convert the bread loaves to dinner rolls.
We have two videos regarding processes that work, for the conversion.
- Video #1 - DinnerRolls - 60g Dough Balls (you can make them larger if you wish).
- Video #2 - Dinner Rolls - Pull Aparts.
These first two options are simply different production methods of our bread. But, we also give you the opportunity to make Super Soft Dinner Rolls, a recipe from celebrated blogger, baker, and author of The Perfect Loaf, Maurizio Leo.
In all cases, you'll package the rolls in bundles of 8-10; just like our signature loaf, these rolls freeze beautifully. If you're using one of our signature bread recipes, package the rolls in the corresponding bread bag. If you are baking the Super Soft Dinners, use any of our signature bags and affix the sticker provided by your hub leader (shown below).
Our Signature Holiday Cookie - Baking Spirits Bright
Baking Spirits Bright Donation will occur on the last donation of 2025 - Sunday, December 14th. The 2025 cookie is a repeat from 2024 and 2023. Here is a little history:
Every holiday season, Community Loaves donates a holiday treat box as part of the final doughnation effort of the year - it is our Baking Spirits Bright campaign. We know the holidays can be an especially challenging time, and an unexpected baked-from-the-heart gift can provide a little lift to one's spirits.
Classically we hold a baking competition in the fall. The winning recipe becomes the signature cookie that is baked, packaged, labeled, and donated to our partnered food banks. In 2023, we had 19 contestants submit tasty recipes, and 16 volunteer judges tackle the challenging task of selecting the top cookie. Kirkland Juanita hub volunteer baker Anna Fine, is the creator of the 2023 winner. Her Holiday Shortbread Squares are easy, festive, and oh-so-delicious! As a gift to one and all, we are sharing the recipe with anyone who would like to whip up a batch. On Monday, December 18th, 2023 we donated 1947 treat boxes containing 16 cookies each. In 2024, we donated an amazing 2,368 holiday cookie boxes.
This year, we're aiming to donate a whopping 2,816 of these delicious gift to our neighbors in need! Can you help us reach this lofty goal?
View Holiday Shortbread Squares Recipe
The 2023 judges in action:
