FAQ

What is the origin of the Depressed Cake Shop™?

In the summer of 2013, Emma Thomas, a creative director and p.r. specialist in the United Kingdom, organized a pop up event in England to raise awareness and funds for a UK based mental health charity. She called it the Depressed Cake Shop™.

Emma’s brief was very specific — the cakes had to be gray, but could have a pop of color to symbolize hope. Her astute intuition was that this would ensure that the Depressed Cake Shop would stand out from the countless charity fundraisers that take place each year. She was right. The event garnered glowing press attention.

Then, something magical happened. Bakers and mental health advocates who had read about the idea started popping up shops of their own in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Glasgow, Houston, Seattle, Kuala Lumpur, Atlanta, Australia and India (just to name a few).

Many of the cakes were designed and donated by bakers who had personal experience with depression, and they used their creations to express their struggles with and experiences of their illnesses. Others were compelled to join because they had seen friends and family members suffering and wanted to be part of a solution. The committed co-conspirators who have kept the Depressed Cake Shop™ movement alive are continually looking for new opportunities to change the conversation around mental health one gray cake at a time.

What does involvement entail?

Anyone can pop up a Depressed Cake Shop™.  Some of the shops have been organized by hobby bakers, some by professional bakers, and some by charities who use our branded bake sale idea to raise funds for themselves.

Once a baker becomes involved with the Depressed Cake Shop™ there is only one requirement: that the baked goods you donate have an element of gray to signify the gray cloud that can descend over a beautiful world when someone is struggling with mental health issues.

We welcome any type of donated baked good, and our shops have become virtual museums filled with wonderful and curated collections.

We do ask that you avoid using nuts as so many people are seriously allergic to them. Other than that, you can make a cake to be sold in its entirety or by the slice, or contribute cake pops, cupcakes, or cookies. Some people have made custom marshmallows, “misfortune cookies,” pies, chocolate-covered Oreos. The only limit is your imagination.

It is also very helpful if your baked goods are accompanied by a list of ingredients, the type and flavor of your item. Also if you can think of a fun name, that’s a plus. We welcome vegan and gluten free items as well. Our customers often request them and it is great to be able to offer that option.

Ok, I am intrigued. Now what do I do?

If you would like to pop up a shop in your town, click on “how to pop-up” to access our toolkit!

If you are interested in getting involved in a shop that has already been announced, email the organizer or info@depressedcakeshop.com to get in touch and register your interest.

Where does the money raised go?

All money raised from the sale of your baked goods goes directly to the charity that has been chosen for the event. We do not collect any money through this site. The local organizers collect the money and donate it directly to the charity they have chosen. Your donations will be tax deductible as the money raised will go to a local charity. You can ask that your chosen charity give you documentation for your tax return.

This site is for information purposes only. It is privately funded (see note below).

Is there anything else I should know?

We are very active on social media, particularly Facebook. That is a great place to keep updated on our activities and to read things that we curate that are interesting in the world of baking and mental health.

We hope this page is helpful. If you have more questions please email info@depressedcakeshop.com and we will be happy to engage with you directly.

A note from Val

January 1, 2020

My name is Val and I run this website and the DCS social media pages.  If you read our FAQ you know that the Depressed Cake Shop was the brainchild of Emma Thomas.  My involvement began when I decided to pop up a shop in Los Angeles in August 2013 to raise money for NAMI.  I am a movie marketer in my "real life," but I had gotten a very close look at the challenges faced by people suffering with severe mental health difficulties when my father had a psychotic nervous breakdown after my mother's death.  My sisters and I got a crash course in the journey a patient and their family go through, and I wanted to do something to help other families who may be having the same experience.  

I was hooked after that first shop.  I loved everything about it, meeting the bakers, seeing the beautiful work they donated from their hearts, the way the simple act of creating something for the shop broke something loose in them.  The most moving experiences were meeting people like Angela who had been following the Facebook page and arrived at one of our shops a few years after that first pop up with boxes and boxes of the most beautiful cookies.  She had suffered the loss of a loved one to suicide and DCS had a role in helping her with the healing process.  

There are dozens and dozens of stories like Angela’s that l have witnessed when I’ve traveled to places like Pittsburgh, PA, Thanet, England, and Boston, MA to attend or organize DCS pop up shops. I’ve also been blessed to be part of a pop up in my hometown, in Orange County, CA (thanks to the talents of Melissa Larob of KML Events).

We are very proud to have popped up with www.ThisisMyBrave.org three times, raising money for them to support the important act of sharing stories of struggle and triumph so others won't feel so alone.

After seven years of successful grass roots efforts we have formed the Depressed Cake Shop Foundation. We keep this site updated so that anyone can pop up a shop in the same way Rebecca and I (as well as people we now call friends like Jane, Melissa Shannan, Julie, Liz, Angie and Rachael -- just to name a few) did.  All of us became inspired, found a charity, contacted some bakers, printed some stickers and popped up a Depressed Cake Shop.

You can do it, and your life will be richer because of it!!!  Once you decide to join our family, email us at info@depressedcakeshop.com to give us all the details. After years of organic growth, we are creating new systems to track the impact the DCS pop ups are having around the world. We can’t wait to hear from you.

xo,

Valerie Van Galder

April 1, 2021

I thought it might be time for a little update. As you can imagine 2020 was a bit quiet here at Depressed Cake Shop. With the world unable to organize pop-ups due to the global pandemic we took a bit of a wait and see philosophy. In the meantime, amazing things are happening with cake and advocacy and we have been encouraging people to create virtual bake sales in order to raise much needed fund for their local charities. We have also supported the other amazing organizations that have emerged over the last few years by promoting their work, and on a personal level, I have baked and donated to them myself.

Unlike other baking efforts we do not choose one charity to raise funds for with our sales. For the past eight years we have believed that allowing people to choose the charity of their choice gives us a chance to support local efforts that are working every day on this very important cause. And, after a year of isolation the need for mental health intervention will be as critical, if not more critical than we could have imagined a little over a year ago.

What I would also like to say is that the people who are drawn to get involved with this concept have in almost every case had a lived experienced with a mental health issue, either themselves, or a close friend or family member. The efforts are grass roots and from the heart.

In order to stay in touch with the world myself (it has been a bit lonely for me here in Los Angeles over the past year) I have begun doing a weekly Instagram Live interview with people at the intersection of food, mental health and creativity. It is a way to shine a light on people who are doing things that I believe would be interesting to our community.

Finally, the Depressed Cake Shop is not about activism, it is about advocacy. Mental health issues are complex, and the people that live with them do not have the same experiences. There is no “one size fits all” treatment plan, and there is no “one size fits all” approach to raising awareness and funds. Thousands of people have found the experience of popping up a shop or supporting the effort fulfilling. Friendships have been formed and money and awareness has been raised.

We are doing our part one gray cake at a time and we are grateful to every person who has supported this effort over these eight years.

On a personal note, I am the only person who “works” at Depressed Cake Shop. I had a pretty awful personal experience in 2018 which affected my mental health, and the pandemic following close on its heels slowed me down. But, I remain committed to this cause and I will continue to provide support to anyone who believes as I do that the simple act of baking and sharing cake can be one tool in your mental health tool kit.

All best,

Val

If you would like to learn more about Depressed Cake Shop click here