Baking for The Greater Good
A very special thank you to Kimberly Mcintosh, owner of Milkfish Bakeshop in Las Vegas Nevada, for raising $800 by holding a virtual charity bake sale for PHCA. She understands how important our programs are in helping people who struggle with substance use disorders and related mental health conditions. Her heart was truly invested in the bake sale, and we are so grateful for her time, dedication, and generous contribution!
Kimberly grew up in Oxnard, California and currently lives in Las Vegas with her family. As a trained culinary arts professional, she was working in restaurants from the mid-2000s until 2020 when Covid-19 struck, and restaurants had to close for dine-in services. The pandemic was a real eye-opener for Kimberly and that’s when she made the decision to pivot and focus on what inspires her and the things she loves most. She began baking for Bakers Against Racism to raise funds for social justice causes worldwide. Her first bake sale raised $1000, and it was then that she realized doing something you love can make a difference and “the secret to living is giving”.
Kimberly’s baking showcases Filipino ingredients, culture, and heritage as highlights in common desserts. She decided on Mango Floats for the PHCA bake sale. Her Mango Floats featured a layered dessert of mango curd, condensed milk cheesecake mousse, and brown butter graham cracker crumble.
Kimberly was inspired to do a bake sale for PHCA, because she has a family member suffering from similar struggles many PHCA clients face every day: substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, multiple hospitalizations, disability, and criminal history. Because PHCA helps the homeless population and youth, Kimberly wanted to support the treatment of others like her family member. Kimberly’s donation will help fund a literacy program to establish an up-to-date library for youth at the Kern County Juvenile Detention Center, as part of the PHCA Kern County Crossroads Program
“I love what PHCA does, because people are not normally given a fair chance to access treatment and I couldn’t be happier that it’s going to an organization that clearly cares very deeply about its cause. I had no idea about the immense challenges youth face in navigating the criminal justice system, simply because they have no access to books to help with their literacy.
I will say that I was very touched to hear about how you all help the youth in Kern County — this entire process has been more emotional for me than I thought it would be, mainly because the situation with my family member is still pretty raw. When I learned how you help with counseling, I cried at how much something like this could have helped him. How one of the times he was detained as a teenager, he could have found a different path if he had the help.
It feels so good knowing how much you all are passionate about what you do, and how many lives can be changed by what you do. Thank you all at PHCA for striving to change lives for the better, no matter what a person’s situation. So thankful you all exist and do what you do!”
Kimberly bakes with her daughter and hopes to one day open her own bakery and continue to make difference. She loves that baking helps her with her own mental health as well as helping others.
To support Milkfish Bakeshop, you can go to their Instagram Page or search for milkfish.bakeshop.