Featured cover photo: Original artwork by Sahlem.
Due to COVID, I lost my job of 15 years in the hospitality business as a PBX hotel operator. Like so many people, COVID had me locked up, depressed, unemployed and overwhelmed with anxiety. I was...
[I was] introduced to this group of women over Christmas [when] I came with an alumni member to help make cookies. The vibe and energy I received from being in their presence was just a sense of comfort, like a hug on my heart. I got ecstatic whe...
What circumstances brought you to where you were before you joined Together We Bake?
I was in an abusive relationship for 20-plus years. In that relationship, I had seven beautiful kids. He ended up getting deported. In those 20 years, I ended u...
What circumstances brought you to where you were before you joined Together We Bake?
I came to Virginia in September of 2020 to help my cousin with her illness and children. I thought I was doing a good thing by moving from Detroit, Michigan. I ...
Since 2017, it's been the same pattern for me: Get high, get locked up, get out, get high, get locked up. The same thing over and over. Isn’t that the definition of insanity? Yea, INSANITY.
That is how I was living until December of 2021. I was ...
I was headed down the wrong path by using [before I started the Together We Bake program]. Someone [I knew] was in Together We Bake and told me about it, and it just intrigued me. I wanted to know what all the hype was about.
[The program] has he...
I was first introduced to Together We Bake through a recovery counselor. I was told it was a baking course offered to underserved women in recovery or re-entry, and since I liked to cook, perhaps I might be interested.
At that time, I was in a v...
My name is Sadie, and I am extremely proud to be a part of Together We Bake! I was introduced to the program through N Street Village.
At this time in my life, I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity presented to me. The staff were welc...
What circumstances brought you to where you were before you joined Together We Bake?
I was introduced to Together We Bake through the Friends of Guest House program, which is where I am currently living. I came to this area after being incarcerat...
Published August 19, 2021
What circumstances brought you to where you were before you joined Together We Bake?
Sara: I would say for me growing up wasn’t the easiest, but I overcame things others wouldn’t make it out of. I grew up with my mom and...
Published August 11, 2021
What circumstances brought you to where you were before you joined Together We Bake?
Kenzie: I relocated to Alexandria to be a resident in The Friends of Guest House program, at which point I was referred to Together We ...
Published July 27, 2021
What circumstances brought you to where you were before you joined Together We Bake?
Mia: I’d gotten to a place in my life where I had to change. I was tired of the life I was living, the negative things that were being sa...