Activism
13-Year-Old Boy Opened a Bakery to Give Pastries Away to the Homeless
In addition to having a heart of gold, 13-year-old Michael Platt has a passion for baking.
(TMU) — More than enough food is produced around the world to feed the global population, yet an estimated 821 million people go hungry each year. This is largely due to greed and the unbalanced distribution of resources. While it will likely take years to remedy this conundrum, one young man is taking matters into his own hands.
In addition to having a heart of gold, 13-year-old Michael Platt has a passion for baking. After learning about the homelessness crisis, he decided to be the change he hoped to see in the world by opening a bakery. Michael’s Desserts operates on one-to-one business model, similarly to Toms Shoes. For every pastry that a customer buys, a pastry is given away to an underprivileged person.
Once or twice each month, the 13-year-old travels from his home in Bowie, Maryland to Washington D.C. where he hands out dozens of baked treats to kids, adults, and families in domestic violence and homeless shelters. The philanthropic teen also works with the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit No Kid Hungry to distribute the pastries.
“I always wanted to have a purpose for what I do,” Michael told the Washington Post. “It’s all about helping people—not just having a purpose for yourself, but thinking about, ‘How does this touch other things?’”
While most of the dessert orders are for people in the D.C. area, the baker says he has made out-of-state shipments as well.
The teen is cooking up big things and he already has nearly 6,000 followers on his Instagram page.
Here are some of his dynamic desserts:
You can follow Michael’s artistry and efforts on his website and Facebook page.
By Mandy Froelich | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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