Are cake sales a good way to raise money, or do they just make your child fat???

[MommaFeedee]

With children in need right around the corner, a lot of schools have recently had cake sales in order to raise money for various charities. But with healthy eating being such a big concern. I have taken to mumsnet with the question on are they overall negative for our children's health due to the fact that it is much harder to moderate what they are eating at them? Should we find another way to raise money?

Help!

If people are gonna get fat they will find a way. Cake not the problem.
Cake sales are a good way to make money if someone enjoys putting huge labour into creating something that looks like it came out of a shop, but fetches the price that you'd expect to pay for a 5 yr old's efforts.

Good in theory but I recently had a Macmillan coffee morning and I spent much more than I raised. Would have been better for them if I'd just done a bank transfer and not bothered! I will however do it again and it does raise awareness

My DC's school recently had a MacMillan coffee morning too. It was fun for the DC, but they could have raised more money by doing, say, an own clothes day and asking everyone to donate.
Personally, I would rather just have donated all the money I spent on ingredients and buying back cake at the sale instead of going to all that trouble. Plus, like you say, having cake sales all the time is not really healthy for the children.

Surely they're not having cake sales that often?

Ours were about 1-2 time a year.

You're not going to get fat on that.

Bettereatcheese I'm sorry you didn't raise more. I went to a lovely friend's super macmillan morning and had such a nice time. She raised quite a lot but it was also an enjoyable event and I'm sure yours, was too

Cake doesn't make people fat. Unhealthy eating, and attitudes to food make people fat

I never fail to be amused by people who drag their children past cake stalls loudly talking about healthy eating or sugary treats. A cake on one or two afternoon a year isn't going to ruin a generally healthy diet for a healthy child.

One cake does not make you fat.

In fact, having an occasional treat shows you have a healthy approach to eating - everything in moderation.

Also, having to physically make a cake reminds you that volunteering time is just as important as giving money. It’s a fun activity that the whole family can get involved in and helps children understand what exactly goes into a cake.

I really don’t see a problem.

Nor me! They look attractive. Easy to transport to school and take home after the sale. You could make some fruit baskets up and see how they sell. I have seen that done successfully.

Good grief.
Buying a cake at a charity sale isn't going to make anyone fat.
they are an excellent way to make money.

Gave up making cakes for charity - I spent more on ingredients than they charged for the cakes - it was quite frustrating to see how little they were valued - kids loved it though but in terms of what makes them fat - there was always some junk food orientated event going on at school - this is a school that had won a healthy award because they won't let kids put chocolate in their lunch box but the teacher gives them weekly food rewards, kids bring in big bags of sweets on their birthdays, christmas easter and many other events meant that a sweet treat from school was a fairly regular event.
I have skinny kids but if you were trying to help your child reduce the junk - I think primary schools especially would have made the job a lot harder.

Ive just helped out at a PTA cake sale.
The teacher in charge suggested a price per biscuit/cake. I dud some maths, and suggested at that price i would save my time next time, and just donate the ingredients cash. They woukd make more money. Price was increased!
Cake sales make money because the items for sale are donated (so zero materials cost), are usually run by volunteers (So zero staffing costs) and sell something kids like.

Yy cakes should be sold for more. £1 a go for anything fancy, 50p for plainer ones. Can always lower prices if stock left.

What was the price suggested Hotinwinter?

Are these cake sales not supervised? Don't pieces of cake cost money? So who is allowing DC to hypothetically binge on cake and get fat?
Are you really saying DC are totally unable to regulate themselves?

I'm not in the UK, so not really translatable. But 40-60p for everything. I reckon I bought 60p per cake of ingredients (cake, cake case, icing, and a couple of smarties on top) plus time.
But people had also bought in shop made cakes, and they were proposing selling those at less than rrp to.

Hmm OK, not sure that a dozen cupcakes would cost out to £7.20 but I deffo agree that prices should reflect the cost a vlbut better than they often do.

Considering Dd went toa vocational dance school I was quite perturbed at thenumber of cake sales they held each year. Every year group held one plus s fee extras so it seemed like there was at least one a month.

A cake every now and then doesn't make people fat.
Repeated poor eating, poor diet, unhealthy choices, lack of exercise and an u healthy attitude to food does.

I can't believe £1 is suggested for a fairy cake though? Our lower school ones tend to be 50p/60p for smaller fairy cakes.
Saying that we are secondary and our upper school bake sales are donations only (cakes tend to be much better).

They're hardly going to make anyone fat unless they're happening every day - I can't imagine the usual once a term or so is a problem!

In primary we had a cake sale each months, the classes taking turns to host. It was in support for the PTA and made around £60-90 each time.

Obviously in primary the parents have more control about what and if buying a cupcake or cookie. When DD was in Y6 and walking on her own I gave her money once in a while to buy one.

In Summer they then sold ice cream like Magnus, lollies etc. Again, we did it once in a while and DD knew there would be no sweets or pudding apart from fruit after dinner.

Now in secondary DD has a bit of money for these kind of things like the MacMillian coffee morning but it is far less.

I am more concerned about the crap they sell in the canteen like sugary yoghurt drinks, pizza and nachos for snack than the odd cupcake. We had a hard talk with DD about the habits she developed and now allow her one day for treats and 4 days of things she takes from home.