Bakesale for Haiti Raises More Than $22K for Medical Aid

J. Birdsall

Well over 1,000 customers bought sweets for earthquake relief.

​Saturday's Bakesale for Haiti raised over $22,000 for nonprofit medical aid organization Partners in Health, says event organizer Samin Nosrat. The grand total included a $5,000 match from yoga teacher John Friend, and a contribution nearly that size from chef Charlie Hallowell's Oakland restaurants Pizzaiolo and Boot and Shoe Service, in part from employee-donated tips.

Nosrat says Saturday's transbay event (in S.F at Bi-Rite Market, in Oakland at Pizzaiolo, and in Berkeley at Gioia Pizzeria) featured sweets from amateur bakers, as well as donations from Tartine Bakery, Bar Jules, Ici, Bi-Rite Creamery, Summer Kitchen, Bakesale Betty, Bacar, Pizzaiolo, Café Fanny, and Picante. Nosrat had hoped to raise $10,000.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think that we'd expand to three locations," Nosrat said via e-mail, "get the kind of press we received, have over 100 people to bake for and work at the sale, or have Charlie and his restaurants' employees donate $5,000 of their earnings toward our goals." Nosrat estimates well over 1,000 customers visited the three sites Saturday.