Depressed Cake Shop bakes clouds of gray to disperse them - Coeur d'Alene Press

In a move meant to shed some light — and enlightenment — on the clouds of gray that encumber and often debilitate or even devastate individuals afflicted with depression and their families, Interfaith Sanctuary is offering a way to take the bite out of the pain — or at least, to sweeten the deal.

On March 7 the pop up Depressed Cake Shop is slated to share its wares from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Trailhead Boise, 500 S. Eighth St. All proceeds will go to Interfaith Sanctuary’s Project Well Being and Project Recovery, a mental health and recovery program designed for guests staying at the shelter.

In addition to baked goods, which, incidentally, will all be gray “to symbolize the gray cloud that depression casts on sufferers,” there will also be other activities offered during the day to encourage dialogue on the topic — and more.

“It’s about creating a safe space,” said Jodi Peterson-Stigers, executive director for Interfaith Sanctuary Shelter. “It’s for beyond awareness, for people who are already aware. It’s for all ages, all reasons focused around depression,” she said.

Other activities throughout the day include:

Donuts and Conversation about Depression hosted by Recovery 4 Life.The Grumpmeter program designed and taught by Janet Kaufman.A yoga class taught by Mary Mandel of Yoga for Good.A DIY Depressed Cookie decorating station sponsored by Betsy Wells of Betsy’s Cookie Co.

There will also be a Depressed Cake Walk at 4 p.m., where “people will walk slowly and sadly around to live music,” said Peterson-Stigers.

“We’re taking over Trailhead,” she said. “Everyone is welcome.”

The baked goods will range in price “from $1 to three-layer-cake works of art — there’ll be every price point,” she said.

Wells of Betsy’s Cookie Co. created many of the sweet morsels and said it was challenging at first to create gray pastries, “but as soon as I changed my way of thinking and started designing cookies to represent depression, the ideas came one after another and the natural color choice was gray. Then, it became easy to make just a tiny amount of color stand out and mean something,” she said.

Wells said it was a personal honor to be a part of the event.

“I have dealt with the effects of depression and mental health issues within my immediate family,” she said. “I’ve seen what a hard battle it is even when you have a supportive family, safe home space, and access to health insurance and all the doctors, therapy, medications, and counseling that you need.”

“I can not imagine having to fight that battle alone on the streets. It must be terrifying and overwhelming,” Wells said. “I love that Interfaith Sanctuary is providing programs like Project Well Being and Project Recovery to give their guests the same opportunity that my family has at dealing with depression and other challenging mental health issues.”

Peterson-Stigers said the original idea for a Depressed Cake Shop came from Emma Thomas, a creative director and public relations specialist in the United Kingdom. In 2013, Thomas organized the first one in England to raise awareness and funds for a local mental health charity. She also is the one who came up with the rules: the cakes had to be gray, but could have a pop of color to symbolize hope.

The event was a huge success, and soon bakers and mental health activists began popping up shops around the globe. Peterson-Stigers said she found out about it from a close family member, her sister, Valerie VanGalder.

“(My sister) decided to pop up a shop in Los Angeles in August 2013 to raise money for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness),” Peterson-Stigers told the Idaho Press in an email. “She is a movie marketer in her real life, but together we had gotten a very close look at the challenges faced by people suffering with severe mental health difficulties when my father had a psychotic nervous breakdown after my mother’s death. Me and my two sisters got a crash course in the journey a patient and their family go through, and wanted to do something to help other families who may be having the same experience.

“I chose to do the work inside of a homeless shelter,” Peterson-Stigers said, “while my sister helped to move the message and meaning of the Depressed Cake Shop throughout the world.”

She is proud to be able to bring it to Boise.

“We will be bringing bakers of all ages and levels together to showcase their gray baked goods,” she said.

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