Every year, Makayla Whitmore looks forward to joining her mom, Shawna, in the kitchen of their Severn Township home to bake for a good cause.
The two create goodies for the annual National Cupcake Day in support of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA). Normally, the cupcakes are sold as a fundraiser at WaveMaker Pool Spa Showroom in Severn, where Shawna works.
That couldn’t happen this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Makayla, 11, wanted to make sure the tradition continued, so a fundraising account was set up on the OSPCA website.
Over the course of a few days, coworkers, family members and others donated more than $700.
“I was kind of speechless because I didn’t think I would raise that much money,” Makayla said.
The fundraiser allowed her to combine two of her passions.
“I just really like baking and I really like animals,” said Makayla, who also bakes pet-friendly “pup cakes” for her two dogs.
Makayla and Shawna usually tag-team baking duties, but Makayla did all of the baking this year while Shawna handled clean-up.
Shawna said she was “really grateful” for the support shown for the fundraiser.
“A lot of people came through,” she said. “It was a little different this year, but it turned out really well.”
National Cupcake Day is a big deal at WaveMaker, she said. The staff bake cupcakes every year, and they also support other OSPCA fundraisers.
“Our goal is just to get pets adopted,” she said.
She and Makayla thanked everyone who contributed to this year’s fundraiser.
