An RTHK presenter discovered a passion for baking during the pandemic, now she’s making bread for Hong Kong’s homeless
Mental Ideas podcaster Sadie Kaye turned a new-found passion for baking into a scheme supplying bread and muffins for Hong Kong homeless charity Breadline
People have been embracing new activities during social distancing. Some have learned a language, others a musical instrument. For radio presenter and writer Sadie Kaye, baking is her new passion.
“With summer pretty much cancelled, I spent the past few months in my kitchen,” says the presenter of Mental Ideas, a podcast on RTHK Radio 3 that has recently been shortlisted by the Association for International Broadcasting for best factual podcast. “I’m no domestic goddess – my first loaf came out of the oven on fire.”
Determined to do something, Kaye initiated a community baking project, Home Kong Kitchen, to help Breadline, a food-waste charity that supports the homeless and other vulnerable groups living in shelters.
Breadline relies on food-waste donations from cafes and restaurants but, says Kaye, with most suppliers operating at reduced hours, the charity has been unable to meet demand.
To boost food supplies, the Sai Kung resident recruited friends, family and neighbours.
“Once a week they drop off their goodies – home-made breads, muffins – to my flat and I deliver them to charities and shelters,” she says.
People can also donate by adding an extra load to their weekly shop.
“We’ve delivered to Kenyan migrant refugees living in shelters – after learning bread is part of their essential diet – and supplied a refugee centre for abused Filipino domestic helpers awaiting trial,” Kaye says. “Even with social distancing restrictions being relaxed, the city’s huge wealth divide won’t magically go away, so we won’t be winding down our little Home Kong bakery operation.”
To join the Home Kong Kitchen community, email Sadie Kaye.
