Dubai expat gives away 500 cupcakes during iftar

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Dubai expat gives away 500 cupcakes during iftar

Won't you be surprised if an unknown person hands over a box of homemade cakes to you?

By Anita Iyer

Published: Thu 15 Jun 2017, 3:40 PM

Last updated: Thu 15 Jun 2017, 6:38 PM

Giving away 500 cupcakes during iftars at Dubai mosque might seem like an easy task. But not if you have to bake homemade cakes and then hand them out.

British expat Nicola Dolan took up the Herculean task this Ramadan and has baked almost 200 portions of cake this month. The first time, she took around 20 pieces of cake to the nearby Jumeirah Park mosque and was surprised as there were at least 200 people. The next batch was 50 pieces, but they weren't enough either.
She wanted to bake more pieces but she knew she couldn't do it alone. Nicola then took on to Facebook and left a message on Jumeriah Park page seeking help.
"The response was overwhelming and eight ladies baked their own cakes and dropped them, which was then given away during iftar last Saturday. It's surprising because we had never met before and we strangers connected for this initiative during Ramadan."
Last week, after they managed to bake 500 cupcakes, she wondered if they could do it again and this weekend there would be 500 pieces more distributed at the mosque.

Another offering for the iftar at my local mosque. #iftar #cake #yummy #nigellalawson #gooddeeds #picoftheday
A post shared by BAKE DOWN BARRIERS (@bakedownbarriers) on Jun 4, 2017 at 7:51am PDT

The thought is simple. "The people breaking their fast at the mosque every evening are hundreds of miles away from their homes and are celebrating the holy month on their own, without their family. For me, food feels like family, so I thought why not bake them cakes."
The women carrying out this initiative come from different backgrounds - some fasting Muslims themselves and few expats from different countries.

How it all started?

It was after the Manchester attacks that 48-year-old Nicola started baking and gifting boxes to Muslim families.
She recollects, "It was my reaction to the Manchester attack as my husband is from Manchester and we were saddened by what had happened. I was touched when Muslims were sympathising with what had happened, just like all of us. Terrorism has no religion and it is wrong to connect a group with what was happening. So, I just baked and offered cakes to Muslim families."
She spotted few people on Facebook groups, got in touch with them and gave them the cupcakes. The idea of the initiative was that goodness will be passed and these people, in turn, will forward the good deed to someone else.
That's how the Instagram page #BakedDownBoundaries started and has garnered quite an interest among the locals.
What started with the Manchester attacks was followed up by the act of giving cakes during iftar at Jumeirah mosque.

Today's baking was for a very special family - my Girl Guide family (Girl Scouts in USA) for our Iftar/Pot luck picnic. #girlguidinguk #bgifc #girlscouts #family #picoftheday #iftar #ramadan #toomuchfood #sharingiscaring #dubai #wagggs #volunteer #giveback
A post shared by BAKE DOWN BARRIERS (@bakedownbarriers) on Jun 14, 2017 at 11:55am PDT

Nicola has been in Dubai for 10 years now and has a message for everybody. "Many people want to be part of social initiatives but aren't sure if it will be well received. I just took a leap of faith and it was received overwhelmingly. So, just go ahead and engage with the community. It will reinstate your faith in people."
anita@khaleejtimes.com