It began as a simple recipe to give back to our schools. Izzy’s at Hillcrest owners Adam Israel and Bill Gardner approached BCEF earlier this year with the idea to sell gift cards for their restaurant with some of the proceeds going to BCEF. And the result? Well, we think we’re going to see some culinary masterpieces out of it.
After the fundraiser was over, Izzy’s was able to donate almost $500 to BCEF. Israel and Gardner asked that the money be used to impact a large number of students. BCEF board members discussed the options at their June board meeting.
The board tossed around quite a few ideas, trying to find a way to make a meaningful connection between Izzy’s and BCSC .BCEF secretary Jama Linkel-Cleghorn shared that Batesville High School (BHS) family and consumer science teacher Barb Hartman had mentioned to her that she was always in need of more baking pans for her classes.
Often, due to the lack of enough baking pans, the creations of some of Hartman’s students would have to be taken from their pans before they were fully cooled in order for the next period to have pans to use. Not an ideal situation, to say the least. The BCEF board realized they had found a perfect match for the Izzy’s donation.
With the money donated to BCEF and then granted to her, Hartman was able to purchase 12 round cake boards, 10 baking sheets, six 9X13 baking pans, 12 silicone liners/mats, and 18 oblong baking dishes. Her students were excited to open the boxes of new items during the first week of class.
“I had my nutrition and wellness students unpack the Amazon boxes with the baking dishes, cookie sheets, silicone baking mats, and cake boards purchased with the BCEF grant money raised by the Izzy’s gift certificates sales,” Hartman shared. “My students look forward to our weekly food labs to have the opportunity to use some of the new bakeware we purchased. I am fortunate to teach and live in a community that strongly supports education. My students and I are grateful for the new kitchen supplies we have been provided to begin our new school year.”
We took a little bit of business spirit, mixed in some community involvement, added a touch of inspiration, and ended up with a perfect grant result. Definitely a recipe for success!
