SAN ANTONIO — A team of bakers from across the country are getting ready to send dozens of cookies to Uvalde. The cookies will be going to the victim’s families, and to members of the community.
Mercedez Camargo is one of the bakers located in San Antonio. She owns Love and Flour Co.
For Camargo, baking is an art.
"I've always loved art, since I was younger," Camargo said. She has been baking since 2018.
The eggs, flour and sweet chocolate chips mixing together to make a delectable masterpiece.
"I just tried it, and I instantly fell in love," Camargo said.
Baking is a form of expression, to communicate what can’t be said in words.
"I feel for them and all that they're going through and I want them to know that," Camargo said.
So when a tragedy struck Uvalde, taking the lives of 21 innocent people, Camargo knew there was something she had to share.
"I remember praying and asking God to just direct me because I wanted to help in some way," Camargo said.
She found her answer in an online group with other bakers from across the country. They came up with the idea to create a cookie collection for the victims and their families.
"Right away, I knew I wanted to do that," Camargo said.
She teamed up with bakers like Victoria Soto. Soto is the owner of Wild Child Bake Shop. Soto is from San Antonio, and also enjoys the creativity that comes along with baking.
"I've seen all the amazing things you can do with cookies and cakes," Soto said.
She made sure to devote her time to help, even as Father's Day orders were coming in.
"We cleared things off and made this a priority to make it happen," Soto said.
The baking brigade is made up of 50 bakers, some as far as Maryland. There are also bakers from Oklahoma and El Paso, TX. Each of the bakers has filled in their own role.
"We've got it down to a T now and we've been working together for about a week and we just conquer and divide it," Soto said.
Soto’s task has been collecting the cookies and putting them into curated boxes.
"I usually get them in and I'm so excited because, you know, I love seeing other talents," Soto said. On the day of the interview, Soto was expecting to receive 29 dozen cookies.
Each baker crafted their specially made treats, representing each child and their interests, like 11-year-old Maranda Mathis, who loved nature and had a big imagination.
The cookies in Mathis' box included a cookie with a unicorn painted in purple icing, and another with the backdrop of a forest. Written in icing, the quote "Nature always wears the colors of the Spirit" from the American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Another box was created in memory of Eva Mireles, the fourth grade teacher who loved staying active. Two heart-shaped cookies were painted to create the rays of the sun, while two others feature contour drawings of a runner in black icing.
“Each designer was left up to whatever they wanted… at their liberty to choose what they wanted to do," Soto said.
While Camargo’s post has been reaching out to families for pickup.
"I'm grateful and honored to just have that communication with them," she said about her experience.
Additionally, the bakers were able to come together despite not knowing one another. Soto said the group has worked together so well, they hope to continue to give back for other events.
"Not even just in Texas, but all over," Soto said. "It's just something that you want to share and hope that, you know, it helps these people, when they need comfort the most," Soto said.
The group has baked more than 1,100 cookies for the Uvalde community.
"I hope they know that a lot of love was poured into them. That's always my goal as a baker," Camargo said.
The cookies will be given out from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Starbucks in Uvalde. It’s located at 505 E Main.
The cookies for the community are free.