Abu Dhabi: A family’s love for Abu Dhabi has prompted them to launch a campaign to give free birthday cakes to people in need.
Celebrating Life, a family-owned bakery in the capital’s Tourist Club area, will deliver a cake to someone in need on their birthday, when a cake weighing 0.5kg and above, or a customised cake, is purchased. A customer can nominate a needy person, or let the bakery choose the person from its database.
“We really love Abu Dhabi and wanted to give back to the city. With this campaign we are celebrating the birthdays of less fortunate people in Abu Dhabi,” M. Singh, son of the bakery’s owner, said.
“When we came to know that this year has been declared the Year of Giving, we were super excited as our model is in line with the initiative.”
Singh, who came up with the concept, said they started the campaign One4One Abu Dhabi, as soon as his father opened the bakery in April last year. They have reached around 50 people in the capital, including taxi drivers, workers, security guards, cleaners and children with special needs.
“Most of the people we are trying to reach live away from home. They don’t have a lot of money and can’t celebrate their birthdays, maybe for years,” Singh said. “It’s a small gesture, but it makes a huge difference to their lives.”
The bakery tries to reach people on their actual birthday, regardless of its opening hours, and makes sure the birthday person has a photograph taken of the celebrations.
“Once we took a cake to a security guard at midnight because that is when his shift ended. He was so surprised and happy,” Singh said.
“When someone says they are happy because of us… it’s the best feeling in the world,” he added.
Singh said they are developing a database with people’s names and birthdays and hope to reach more people with support from companies and the community in general.
“We really want to make this year the best year and reach as many people as possible across Abu Dhabi... maybe in future we can even deliver to the other emirates,” he said.
