A 13-year-old food justice advocate donates his handmade cupcakes for each treat he sells from his bakery.
“Every dessert sold buys a dessert for someone in need,” Michael Platt says.
According to the Washington Post, the young boy is an advocate against economic inequality and child hunger, and does whatever he can to incorporate sweetness in the lives of homeless folks.
Hailing from Bowie, Maryland, Michael started baking from an early age. His love for making desserts and his dedication to doing something for the starved led him to open his own bakery Michaels Desserts – which he has been running successfully for the last two years.
Michaels Desserts is not just known for its amazing delicacies but also for the cupcakes the little boy donates for each cookie, cake, or cupcake sold.
Speaking to the Washington Post, Michael said: “I always wanted to have a purpose for what I do.
“It’s all about helping people — not just having a purpose for yourself, but thinking about, ‘How does this touch other things?’”
Every month, the boy sells about 75 cupcakes, priced at $15 for four pieces, with some other sweet foods. With his current sales, he makes over 100 extra desserts to donate.
The young boy usually distributes his servings in the domestic violence shelters, transitional homes and McPherson Square in Washington, D.C. after every 15 days.
Earlier this month, the boy was handing out his desserts in McPherson Square to people from different sections of society. At the time he was offering a cupcake to a fine-looking man, Michael had an unforgettable eye-opener.
“There was a man sitting in the park. He was wearing, like, a suit and tie,” he told the WJLA.
View this post on Instagram“Your business model isn’t sustainable.point 266 |
ADVERTISEMENT What can a cupcake do?” My answer to adults who tell me this: In my opinion a cupcake can do a lot! I’ve seen a cupcake inspire smiles, tears, amazement, joy, satisfaction, happiness and other private emotions that I won’t share out of respect for people’s dignity.point 227 |
ADVERTISEMENT I’ve passed a cupcake to someone sitting with all their possessions in a shopping cart and had them tell me that this one simple act gave them hope.point 123 | I’ve left a cupcake beside someone who’s sleeping under blankets on a grate because their friend on the grate next to them said it was ok when I asked.point 250 |
ADVERTISEMENT That’s why I give away cupcakes.point 29 | I’ve been told that my business model isn’t sustainable and that I can’t scale my business while giving away a dessert equal in value, ingredients and labor to the ones I sell.point 180 | I just look at those people and think about the next cupcake I’m going to give away! #hunger #changetheworld #giveaway #cupcakes #food #foodaccess #foodjustice #foodsecurity #dignity #feedthepeople #cookies #pie #changeagent #bethechange #kidpreneur #dreams #hope #sweettreats #oneforone #1for1point 440 | 1
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“We gave him a cupcake and he said that he hadn’t eaten in three days. So we learned that hunger doesn’t really look like anything.”
Michael has also been associated with a nonprofit organization, No Kid Hungry, to help bring an end to childhood hunger in America.
Speaking about his passion, Michael said: “I knew that I wanted to make a business, but I knew I didn’t just want to make money — I also wanted to help people at the same time.”
Michael has become a renowned baker in his city, and is often contacted by a number of people for events such as birthday parties, anniversaries and even small weddings.
Michael was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was in 6th grade. His seizures soon became severe and caused him to leave public school and get an education at home.
Revealing the distress he and his family faced due to his condition, his mother Danita Platt told the Washington Post: “It was a very, very difficult time.
“He had to stop everything he loved: gymnastics, climbing trees, diving. So that’s when he kind of threw himself into baking.”
The culinary and entrepreneurial skills of the spirited boy saw him founding his own bakery and making it unbelievably successful. His creativity and talent soon got evident through his baking art, earning him the praise he rightly deserved.
Michael makes a newly themed cupcake each month, and he calls them the “freedom fighter cupcakes.”
“So I choose a person to base a cupcake off for each month. And each month I have a flavor that represents them — and I’ll tell their story on my Instagram page,” he said.
View this post on InstagramGolden Milk Cupcakes! Each month I’m going to be creating a cupcake based on a Freedom Fighter that I admire.point 319 |
ADVERTISEMENT This month I made this cupcake to honor GrandPa Kitchen!! He’s a grandpa in India who cooks huge amounts of food for orphans in his town.point 114 | He is one of my absolute favorite modern day freedom fighters! @Grandpa_Kitchen Check out my story and my IGTV to learn more.point 218 |
ADVERTISEMENT I’ll be at @thespicesuite on the 23rd with these Golden Milk cupcakes.point 61 | Every cupcake you buy, buys a dessert for someone in need If you’d like to preorder and pick up for the 23rd Golden Milk, Sweet Potato, Mocha Mini Cakes or my surprise Chef’s Choice cupcake please send me a message! #kidbaker #baking #goldenmilk #cupcake #1for1 #feedthepeople #tumeric #boybaker #dessert #cookies #grandpakitchen #hunger #michaelsdesserts #thespicesuite #freedomfighter #bakingadifference #minimalistbakerpoint 431 | 1
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One of his cupcakes filled with sweet potato pie was to honor Martin Luther King Jr., and another one containing banana pudding was made as a tribute to Maya Angelou.
The baker-boy now aims to prepare delicacies in tribute of Nelson Mandela and Harriet Tubman.