Help Pip's Bakery Grow and Give Back

Pip’s didn’t start with a business plan. It started with burnout.

I was working in social work, totally consumed by the idea that I could fix a broken system. I wanted to move into policy and make changes that actually helped people. But the deeper I got, the more I realized… there weren’t really systems in place to help anyone. Just a lot of red tape, performative care, and money-making structures pretending to be support. Eventually, I hit a wall. I was anxious, depressed, having panic attacks, and honestly felt completely hopeless.

Antidepressants helped. I started breathing again. But I still needed something to come back to.

So I baked. First it was zucchini bread. Then I started making gluten-free stuff, because I couldn’t eat gluten myself (SIBO gang, hi). I gave some to my neighbors, just to feel like I existed in the world again — and they gave me notes back. One person tucked $5 in a thank you card and said how grateful they were to finally have something safe and good.

That $5 meant more to me than any paycheck I’d gotten in corporate social work. That’s the moment Pip’s was born.

Then came the logo. A little doodle that made me think, wait — maybe this could actually be something. Bigger than just therapy-baking. Something that could bring people joy and make them feel safe.

Today, Pip’s is a licensed home bakery in Los Angeles making indulgent, gluten- and dairy-free desserts that never feel like a compromise. It’s for people with food sensitivities, for folks who are chronically ill or neurodivergent or just trying to get through the day. It’s for anyone who wants to feel seen and eat something sweet without fear.

I donate 5% of profits to NAMI, and regularly give to mutual aid orgs and community causes. Because this isn’t just about cookies. It’s about care.

But the truth is, I’ve hit a point where I can’t do it alone anymore. I’ve been fully self-funded for nearly a year, and the pressure of running every part of this business — while managing ADHD and trying to protect my own mental health — is catching up to me.

Fundraising would change everything. Not just for the business, but for me as a human being. I could breathe. I could focus. I could stop spiraling every time I have to choose between ingredients or renewing my cottage license.

Here’s what your support would help with:

• Renewing my cottage license in August (that’s $300 I’m already stressing about)

• Restocking ingredients and packaging without worrying about every single invoice

• Renting commercial kitchen space so I can take on bigger orders and stop maxing out my home oven

• Getting proper certifications and FDA-compliant labels so people know exactly what they’re eating

• Trademarking the brand so Pip’s stays mine, no matter how far it grows

• Launching my dream campaign, Cookies for a Cause, where I collaborate with local orgs on special-edition boxes that directly fund the communities we love

Honestly? The first round of GoFundMe donations helped me buy 1,000 of my little green logo stickers. That might not sound like much, but it made everything feel real. It made it feel like people believed in me. And I want to keep building from that place.

If you’ve ever felt like you needed a second chance, or wanted to support something soft and good in a hard world — I hope you’ll consider helping Pip’s grow.

Thank you for being part of this.

— Katie (and Pip )