Amy Guindon-Bourget holding donations made for Enfield teachers.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
ENFIELD — Owner Amy Guindon-Bourget of AmyCakes Baked Goods, a licensed home bakery, has been hosting a School Supply Drive for Enfield teachers.
Guindon-Bourget is a huge advocate for the Enfield teachers and the school community at large. She has a son that attends Enfield High School and is aware of the hardships teachers are facing in light of the recent budget cuts.
“A lot of teachers are struggling right now,” said Guindon-Bourget. “I just wanted to do my part and try to help support the teachers in any way that I could, so having that I have a business and I have a lot of followers who are in our community, I decided to try to get everyone together and donate so that we could make lives a little bit easier for our very hardworking teachers.”
The list of supplies Guindon-Bourget has received from the teachers includes tissues, paper towels, Clorox wipes, pencils, pens, dry erase markers, Expo dry erase markers with ink indicator/chisel tips, thin Crayola markers, folders, glue sticks and markers.
“Anything that a teacher would be able to use in their classroom because they don’t get extra money for supplies,” Guindon-Bourget said. “Teachers are forced to take their own money and buy the things that they need.”
Guindon-Bourget always liked to bake, but it wasn’t her first career. She was an early education teacher and taught preschool. When her last child went to preschool, Guindon-Bourget decided she wanted to do something different.
“Baking was something that I really love, so I gave it a go,” Guindon-Bourget said. “Little by little through word of mouth it slowly evolved into a business. Not only am I providing a great service in the form of great baked goods and really unique products, but I also try to be a part of my community and give back.”
Tracy Langevin is a reading teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School. Her aspiration to become a teacher came from her third-grade teacher Mrs. Cowles who made learning exciting. Langevin wants to be that for her students and to make them enjoy reading and get better at reading.
“This donation drive is great,” Langevin said. “It’s uplifting after the end of the school year we had with all of the budget cuts and everybody moving around. My goal is to give students quality education.”
Guindon-Bourget shared, “As a business owner in Enfield, I think it’s really important that community and businesses go hand-and-hand. As I mentioned, the teachers are really struggling. There were a lot of lay-offs and there’s a lot of financial cuts. We’re in this community, so we should be supporting one another. I’m lucky that I’m in a position where I have more of a reach where people [that] follow me will do this. I feel really lucky that I’m able to facilitate this process.”
Guindon-Bourget has also been working with Enfield Produce & Deli, who have also helped with the donation.
Donations will be accepted through Aug. 25. There will be a donation box at the AmyCakes Baked Goods pick-up room at 5 Laurie Dr. and one at Enfield Produce & Deli, 565 Enfield St.
Contact AmyCakes Baked Goods on Facebook through Messenger, call 413-348-0172 or AmyCakesBakedGoods@gmail.com.
