Giving to those in need can be difficult when the recession makes your own finances unsure.

A group of local moms figured out a way to move past the economic uncertainty in order to give to others: a virtual bake sale. The project has taken on a life of its own as they've already raised more than $600 in pre-orders.

Norman stay-at-home mom Michelle Sutherlin came up with the idea when she kept driving by United Way signs around town. She knew the value of United Way because she had worked at the Red Cross and seen the good funds from United Way can do. United Way provides funding for a variety of social service agencies in Norman.

"I kept driving by and seeing the goalometers and I was really sad 'cause they were stuck in 60 percent (of their goal)," Sutherlin said. She didn't have extra money to give, but she did have time and energy she could donate. Baked goods were a natural way she could raise money.

"It's much easier to give of time and talent than money sometimes," Sutherlin said.

For help, she called on her group of friends, all fellow moms in various life stages. The women have known each other for a decade and when Sutherlin proposed a bake sale, they were all in.

But many didn't realize the scope the sale would take on.

"I thought I was gonna make like two," Sarah Williams said of her pumpkin roll recipe. She's had far more orders than that roll in. Jennifer Walters also said she had no idea how popular the fundraiser would be, or how much effort would be involved.

"(Sutherlin) clearly had a vision, and I didn't really understand what the vision was," Walters said. "... Once I sort of clued in with what she was talking about, I was on board."

Williams, Walters and most of the other women involved in the project, Tami Althoff, Krystyn Bramlett, Michelle Bratcher, Leslie Christopher, Jackie Lindley and Sutherlin met Friday afternoon at Sutherlin's Norman home to talk about the fundraiser. They finished each other's sentences and watched out for each other's children like the old friends they were.

When Sutherlin came up with the idea for a bake sale, she decided it would be better to get orders in advance of baking, so Lindley designed www.confectionsforacause.com. Each woman listed at least one baked good on the site that visitors could pre-order to be picked up 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 14 at the United Way of Norman offices, 550 24th Ave. NW D.

Then the women e-mailed everyone in their inboxes and posted the fundraiser online. The response was more than they expected.

"It started as a little bitty idea," Sutherlin said. "In my wildest dreams I was like, 'What if we could raise $500?'"

As of Friday, they had already surpassed that amount and raised about $630 for United Way. When asked what the new goal was, the women agreed they should make it $1,000.

Not all the baked goods have been equally popular. Bratcher admitted her Oreo balls are probably the most popular item. As of Friday, she had orders for about 400 of them.

"She's the most equipped to make that quantity," Christopher added encouragingly. The women all chimed in that they were going to help one another bake.

Because of the scale the project has taken on, the women said they are taking sponsorships of $25 for baking supplies as well as accepting in-kind donations to help out with the cost of the baked items. They are also looking for a location to bake Dec. 12 and 13 that has more than two ovens.

United Way of Norman President Kristin Collins said Confections for a Cause isn't going to be the most profitable fundraiser for the United Way this year. However, the effort and creativity the women put into it can be an example to others in the community.

Sutherlin said she hopes the virtual bake sale is an inspiration to others who may feel they don't have anything to give the United Way.

"There are all kinds of things that we can do that take energy but not necessarily money," she said.

Julianna Parker Jones 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com

On the Net

www.confectionsforacause.com