Bakery brings teachers a sweet Valentine’s Day treat

By Frances Vanderploeg

Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 | 6:08 p.m.

About 1,300 teachers in Henderson elementary schools got to start their day Friday with a sweet surprise: cupcakes, topped with "love" and sprinkles as a thank-you for Valentine's Day.

Every Henderson elementary school was visited by a member of Freed's Bakery bringing racks full of cupcakes. More than 1,400 cupcakes were baked and decorated to ensure every teacher received one.

The outreach seemed to go over well with the teachers. Their appreciation was relayed through smiles and fingers licked free of frosting.

"It's the little things that make a difference to them," Glen Taylor Elementary School Principal Nicole Coloma said.

Cupcake deliveries were made throughout the day. Some teachers received the cupcakes directly and some found the pink, red and white pastries awaiting them in the break room.

Bakery owner Max Freed knew weeks in advance he wanted to do something, he said. He just wasn't sure whom to do it for.

After meeting with his staff, the decision became clear: teachers.

"We thought, 'OK, who do we appreciate? Who do we love?'" he said. "They were at the top of the list of people we forget to say thank you to."

Early in the morning, the bakers loaded four delivery trucks full of cupcakes to take to each school. Just before class got under way for the day, Freed stopped by Glen Taylor Elementary School for a visit and to drop off a batch of cupcakes.

To ensure teachers and students would be present, nearly a dozen teachers, each of whom had a child attending the school, were asked to gather in a classroom with their children to kick-off the celebration and taste-test the gift.

Though the sweets were for the teachers, some of their children came away licking their fingers as well. The smiles showed it was a good day to be the teacher's kid.

Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or [email protected].