Local Baking Co's Holiday Gift Program Creates Jobs And Opportunities For Those Less Fortunate

Dec. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- DECEMBER 1, 2010 (ST. LOUIS, MO) – With unemployment rates hovering near all-time highs and a record number of home foreclosures pending, the need to give back to those in need in the St. Louis community continues to be the greatest it has been in decades. While a cash donation may not be financially feasible for small, locally owned businesses, one creative St. Louis entrepreneur has found a unique way to positively impact the lives of those less fortunate in her hometown.

Hollyberry Baking, owned by local entrepreneur Holly Cunningham, has partnered with St. Patrick Center for a second year in a row to produce “Gifts that Give Back.” The campaign pairs Hollyberry’s corporate gifts with the mission of St. Patrick Center, to build permanent, positive change for those in need.

Through the program, each purchase of Hollyberry’s corporate gifts has a direct and positive affect on the lives of those in need in the St. Louis area. During the past two years, Hollyberry Baking has employed ten St. Patrick Center clients, who were homeless or at risk of being homeless. Each client receives job-skills training in the culinary industry and tangible kitchen experience with an established and well-respected company.

“The need to give back to the community in which we do business is greater than ever this year,” said Holly Cunningham, president and founder of Hollyberry Baking. “The opportunity for Hollyberry Baking to help put people back to work and to provide job training opportunities for those less fortunate fits perfectly with our on-going commitment to St. Louis community.”

In 2010, Hollyberry Baking is utilizing the culinary suite within St. Patrick Center’s BEGIN New Venture Center to hire, train, mentor and supervise the center’s clients as they assist with the baking, packaging, assembly and shipping of Hollyberry’s holiday gifts. These skills will provide clients with tangible experience to bring to future employers after they complete the Center’s program.  

The “Gifts that Give Back” partnership also creates a unique opportunity for businesses to give back to the St. Louis community through their holiday gift giving. Each gift contains a card detailing the “Gifts that Give Back” program and spreading the word about the mission of St. Patrick Center. The more Hollyberry gifts purchased, the more opportunity exists to train and employ the clients of St. Patrick Center. Not only do the gifts thank clients for their patronage, they also helped individuals in the St. Louis community who are most at need.

About Hollyberry Baking
In 1998, St. Louis native Holly Cunningham launched Hollyberry Baking to provide made-from-scratch baked goods for corporate gifts on a local and national basis. Customers can place gift orders by phone, fax or e-mail. In 2001, the company expanded to include Hollyberry Catering. Since its inception, the company has grown to serve thousands of box lunches to clients throughout the St. Louis area and is the preferred caterer at over 22 top local venues. Hollyberry Catering is now one of St. Louis’s top 10 catering companies, was named best caterer by Sauce Magazine readers in both 2009 and 2010, and was one of the first caterers in the area to specialize in “small plates.” Hollyberry’s items have been featured as The Rachael Ray Show’s “Snack of the Day,” highlighted in Paula Deen’s 2009 Holiday Baking collectors’ edition and named “Best Cookies” by St. Louis Magazine. More information is available at www.hollyberrybaking.com.

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