On Thursday, November 21 the bakery sold purple donuts, cupcakes and other baked goods to raise money for palliative care at Echuca Regional Health as well as research into a cure for pancreatic cancer.
This is the second consecutive year that Bakehouse 151 has sold the items with Stewart’s Wish, and the store keeps a donation tin in-store year round.
The bakery raised roughly $700 for Stewart’s Wish last year and this year surpassed that total before the middle of the day, with its contribution totalling $968.
Bakehouse 151 owner Jayde Kenny highlighted her and co-owner Ben Atkins’ desire to help and support their community, especially considering they had been closely affected by cancer.
“We got involved because when we first opened the bakery we wanted to give back to the community and support people and organisations like Stewart’s Wish,” she said.
“Ben’s mum passed away from cancer last year and Tammy, who works here, her mum has pancreatic cancer as well, so the cause is very close to our hearts.
“Being able to raise some money makes us feel like we are actually doing something and not just leaving them alone; it makes us feel good and like we are contributing to an important cause.
“We are very lucky that a lot of our customers are very generous and are constantly putting money in and donating when they can.”
Stewart’s Wish was set up by mother-daughter duo Sarah and Jenny Murtagh following the passing of father and husband Stewart after his short battle with pancreatic cancer.
The name of the foundation comes from Stewart’s desire to give back to the palliative care nurses at ERH who looked after him, who he described as “his angels”.
Stewart’s Wish also raises money for the Pancare Foundation, which is attempting to develop an early detection method for pancreatic cancer.
Stewart’s Wish raised $12,000 in total last year, but Mrs Murtagh said that while they won’t hit that total this year, they were thankful for every donation as it all helped and contributed to Stewart’s legacy.
“The community is fantastic, we only have to ask, and they’re more than happy to contribute. This year we found it tough because of the current state of the world, but people are always willing to give,” she said.
“Everyone is always charitable here; we hold fundraisers throughout the year, we had our brunch at Fuzion Café a few weeks ago, and we have raffles on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
“This is Stewart’s legacy and as long as I am alive, and my daughter will keep doing it, it’ll continue on.
“It doesn’t matter how much we raise, at the end of the day everything helps and is going to a good cause.”
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