My name is Lauren Bren, and I am asking for help during one of the hardest times in my life. I have lost my job, my income, and the stability I depended on. My mother closed my bank account, and I no longer have access to my money, including child support that I rely on. Right now, I am struggling to meet even my most basic needs, and there are days when I cannot afford to eat. On top of that, I am carrying deep family pain while my father is facing stage 4 cancer and is not speaking to me. I feel like I have lost so much at once, but I am still holding on to hope.

For 15 years, I have worked in the baking business, and baking is more than a job to me. It is part of my heart, my experience, and the legacy my grandmother, Mema, believed in for me. I was supposed to carry on that dream through Fantasy Frostings, but that path was taken from me. Even so, I have not given up. I want to build something of my own: Not Your Mother’s Cake Co, a bakery that reflects everything my grandmother wanted for me and everything I still believe is possible.

The support from this fundraiser would help me survive this immediate crisis and begin rebuilding my life. It would help me take the first real steps toward opening my bakery, including forming an LLC and securing a building. I already have customers who believe in my work, and I even have employees ready to help me grow. The missing piece is funding. If you are able to support me, share this fundraiser, or simply encourage me, it would mean so much. Help me build my dream, friends. Anything helps. Thank you.