A group of women from Christchurch Women’s Prison are busy baking for people going through tough times in the community.

The new initiative, Prison Bake, is presented by Good Bitches Baking (GBB), with a group of six volunteers coming into the prison on Saturdays to work with the women in three self-care units to teach the tangible, practical skills involved in baking, and, most importantly, some less tangible skills around the concepts of kindness to self and others.

The resulting freshly baked goods are then delivered to one of GBB’s recipient organisations that works with people having a tough time.

Fresh baking from the Christchurch Women’s Prison group has been delivered to new mothers and families in the Christchurch Women’s Hospital Premature Babies Unit.

“The women on the baking programme are loving that they are delivering some baked happiness to mothers going through such a challenging time,” says Christchurch Women’s Assistant Prison Director Claire Walls.

“The prison bakers are mothers themselves, and they know how stressful it can be with a new baby, and more so if your baby is newborn or unwell. There’s something very comforting about receiving ‘home’ cooked food, so this is a practical and meaningful way for the women to both learn new skills and to send their best wishes.”

GBB was established in 2014 by Nicole Murray and Marie Fitzpatrick who wanted to let people going through a hard time know that people in their community cared. There are now 29 chapters from Whangārei to Invercargill with about 3000 volunteers donating their ingredients, time and skills to bake for about 350 recipient organisations including refuges, hospices, foodbanks, NICUs, mental health support and many others, with the common thread being that they support people having some kind of tough time. The organisation has run Prison Bake programmes in Rimutaka, Arohata and Hawkes Bay Regional Prisons, but this is the first for the South Island.

Natasha Meynell, GBB Operations Manager says, “Good Bitches Baking is all about spreading a bit of sweetness in our community. It’s not about fixing anyone’s world, but about making sure people going through some kind of crisis or difficulty or tough time feel seen and connected to their wider community - everyone deserves a treat and the moment of respite it can bring.

“Prison Bake is something really practical we can do for people in the prison system who will benefit from the life skills of baking and understanding the effect of kindness. The programme feedback shows that this concept really hits home for lots of the participants and starts to flow through to the way they think about what they’re baking and why. It’s a small way to reconnect people with their community. The recipients love it too and they recognise the layers – a programme like this, although apparently very simple, has deeper ripples than you see on the surface.”

Sarah (not her real name) is one of the women baking and says she is greatly enjoying the experience and the opportunity to do something for others.

“The ladies hosting the programme were lovely, engaging, knowledgeable and patient. It was a nice change to have conversations with people not from the prison and to hear about all the amazing work they do in the community was really inspiring. Giving something back to the community, with the items we baked, was my favourite aspect of the programme.”

Claire Walls says the women in the baking programme are in the prison’s self-care housing, where women live in a flatting type accommodation with three others. The women in self-care housing do their own weekly shopping and cook for themselves and their housemates, so there is an opportunity for the women to practise baking their favourite recipes before being released from prison when they will be able to bake for their own friends and whānau.

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