I’m sitting here in front of the television, enjoying some fabulous citrus shortbread from cookcraftgrow. Earlier this evening my husband and I shared some homemade Twinkies, and accompanying my lunch today were delectable langues de chat (Cat’s Tongues) from Pâtissière in Progress. We’ve got even more treasures on the kitchen table waiting for their turn on our taste buds.

This bounty comes to us by way of Will Bake For Food, a food blogger bake sale that helps fight hunger in the Seattle area. In 2010 the event raised close to a thousand dollars and collected almost a ton of food for Northwest Harvest, a Seattle-area food bank. This year, more than $2500 and several barrels of food went to the Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle and King County.

Dozens of local food bloggers and bakers contributed hundreds of sweet treats. In exchange for donations of food and money, attendees received tickets that they could spend on cupcakes, cookies, breads, tarts, and even chorizo caramel confit! Last year we got there a little late and found many of the best selections already sold out. This past weekend we made sure to be there when the doors opened.

The event was born when Jenny Miller of Rainy Day Gal wanted to find a way to help those who struggle to feed their families (read more of the backstory here). She joined forces with Jenny Richards of Purple House Dirt to rally the troops many local bloggers and their followers, and gather donations. I’ve been fortunate to know Jenny M. for a few years now, and she’s a really amazing person. She’s funny, she’s inspired, she’s a talented chef, and the kind of wife and mother I aspire to be. And while so many of us read about the challenges faced by less fortunate families, Jenny and Jenny stepped up to do something tangible for them, and created an avenue for the rest of us to help too.

Will Bake For Food’s first year was a success. This second year, even more so. Enough to make it a tradition? Let’s hope so, for the sake of our sweet tooths (sweet teeth?) and more importantly, for the benefit of our community.