Orange County group bakes birthday cakes for children, teens in foster care

LADERA RANCH, Calif. (KABC) -- An Orange County group is making a difference for children and young people in the foster care system, one birthday cake at a time.

"For Goodness Cakes" has hundreds of volunteers who bake cakes for those kids who may have never had a birthday cake before.

"I was baking cakes just for fun and feeding them to my family, friends and neighbors, and we can only eat so many cakes, so when I saw that there was this organization, I thought, 'Oh this is perfect,'" said volunteer Melissa Anders. "Everyone should get to feel that special on their birthday"

The Orange County chapter of the organization has more than 500 volunteers who have baked close to 3,500 cakes so far.

"We deal with kids in foster care, we deal with kids who are transitioning out of foster care, some of our agencies deal with critically ill children," said Laurie Little, the Orange County chapter leader. "We're always looking for more volunteers, and you don't have to be a professional baker, you can be a novice and learn as you go."

Little said once volunteers pass a food safety class, it's as easy as finding someone to bake a cake for on their website and signing up.

"I made a Phoenix Suns cake for a child who was turning 16, and he'd never had a birthday cake before," said Little. "You get a lot of those stories that are really heart wrenching, to think someone has never had a cake? It's something you take for granted, I think."

If you're interested in volunteering, visit For Goodness Cakes' website.