Gay Lea Foods launches holiday traditions book with #BakeitForward campaign in Ontario

Gay Lea Foods is launching a book featuring a collection of delicious holiday recipes and the moving stories behind them by surprising underserved youth in Ontario with delivered treats.

“At Gay Lea Foods, we believe that every recipe tells a story. This holiday season, our award-winning #BakeItForward program will uncover the people behind these stories, traditions and recipes and let us see how they demonstrate their love through baking,” said Marcela Rodriguez, Gay Lea Masterbrand Manager at Gay Lea Foods in a news release. “We know that long-standing family recipes are not just recipes – they are a window into the past and a tool we use to connect with one another. They help us remember who we are and where we came from. That’s why we’ve launched this campaign and why we are encouraging everyone to capture and celebrate their own personal stories. Our goal is to honour the real people from past generations that make our holiday traditions so special and celebrate the joy that they bring, while also encouraging people to dig for recipe gold in their own backyards. We really hope this campaign inspires them to do so.”

As part of the launch, the company will be surprising 1,400 unsuspecting Ontario residents on their doorsteps with copies of the book as well as handy baking supplies including its European-inspired specialty butter, Bakers Gold.

Gay Lea Foods will also be delivering special surprises to youth in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood alongside Greater Toronto Area dairy entrepreneur, Rex’s Premium Ice Cream, while spreading the word about its founder’s remarkable story. A newly launched ice cream shop featuring unique worldly recipes, including flavours inspired by owner Abdul Ali’s Somali heritage, the business serves up delicious
treats and also raises money for Ali’s grassroots program, RexReads. The program donates free, new books to underserved youth in GTA communities.

To help support Ali’s mission this holiday season, Gay Lea Foods will donate dairy supplies to the shop to help it raise additional funds for its charitable program while also partnering with it to surprise underserved youth who deserve it most.

Canadians are invited to follow @gayleafoodscoop on Instagram and share their #BakeItForward story. Bake It Forward may be viewed online beginning on Dec. 1  http://gaylea.com/bake-it-forward.