Skip to main content

At my favorite coffee shop near school, a cappuccino is $5, with an alternative milk, an extra 85 cents is added, including tax and a well-deserved tip, and it can be a pushing $8. But the perfectly pulled espresso and a creamy layer of foam decorated with a leaf make it almost worth the price. It is a treat I buy myself every Thursday before my last class of the week as a reward for making it through. Recently, however, I rediscovered whole milk in coffee over oat or almond. It is undeniably better and cheaper. The only downside to it is a cocked eyebrow and a look of disdain as the barista writes a capital W rather than O or A to represent the milk of choice–but maybe I just frequent an elitist cafe that does not offer patrons wifi. But after a month of this switch, I have saved nearly $4 while still enjoying my overpriced cappuccinos.

This year, I plan to donate my monthly saved $4 to Bakes for Breast Cancer on Giving Tuesday. The day is placed conveniently after Thanksgiving when many people choose to reflect and be gracious for what they have and share with others, then come Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. The three shopping days are separated by Sunday, so consumers can reflect on saving copious amounts of money while also spending liberally. Similar to my milk switch: save while you spend. Consider taking the $2, $5, or $20 you saved and donating it to a good cause with me. Giving Tuesday reminds us to give back to a community that can benefit from extra donations–no matter the size of the donation, every cent truly helps, especially for smaller nonprofits, like Bakes for Breast Cancer. 

Bakes for Breast Cancer provides bridge grants to enable researchers to start their research before greater amounts become available. The earnings from the delicious bakes events provide researchers grants to continue their work before truly getting it off the ground. We are like a smaller fish that is crucial for the ecosystem to function! Donations made directly to Bakes for Breast Cancer enable them to do more. 

In 2022 we provided one grant to Dr. Rachel Freedman for her work with older patients. In 2023, we will be providing two grants. One researcher will focus on younger women with breast cancer, and the other focusing on older women–tragically, the disease knows no age. For these researchers, even the smallest donations can become the start of something where they get their research off the ground. 

We are not asking that you make sacrifices to donate money. We hope you will see where you are already saving money and be happy to donate from there. Maybe it is the money saved on the new pants from a Black Friday Sale or the free shipping from the Cyber Monday Sale, or maybe you are like me and started saving by making even the tiniest change. I hope that you choose our nonprofit to donate to this year and support our cause. You will be endorsing finding a cure for a horrific disease that still affects too many people personally and even more friends and families. When you choose Bakes for Breast Cancer, you are part of the work to find a cure–and maybe eating some sweets, too–so tell your friends and families and ask if they want to be a part of the fight against breast cancer. 

And I can promise that you will not be bombarded with daily emails after you donate–keeping your inbox clear is our gift to you!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.