Combining her passion for baking and the desire to give back to the community, senior Stephanie Wrabel has picked up her spatula and headed to the kitchen.

For her senior project, Wrabel is baking different desserts and donating them to My Sister’s Place, a shelter for women and their children in Baltimore, once a month.

Wrabel didn’t just want to bake for her project, however.  She wanted to give back to the community.

“I talked to Mrs. Gezcy and she mentioned donating my desserts to a shelter. I did some research and found My Sister’s Place,” Wrabel said.

Wrabel says she usually bakes about 100 cookies, cupcakes, or other types of desserts for each visit.  No matter what Wrabel makes, she says the people at the shelter are always grateful. “The shelter is very supporting and always takes my donations whenever I choose to donate,” Wrabel said.

“Most people probably don’t know how long it really takes to bake 100 cupcakes or 100 cookies. It takes about five hours. I’ll admit it’s super tiring, but when I give [the shelter] the boxes of desserts, I already feel proud of myself,” Wrabel said.

For Wrabel, her project goes above and beyond the grade that she’ll receive for the project.

“One time I dropped the desserts off, and there was a mass going on in the dining room of the shelter. Those women were so happy when they saw what I brought in. Those women looked so worn out, tired, and depressed. I guess it moved me because not many people get to see these women. It’s so sad to see people with nothing. I feel happy that I can put a smile on their faces with my desserts,” Wrabel said.

Emily Clarke is a Managing Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com