As the world returned to normal, the Home Baking Association focused on meeting its audiences where they are most engaged and ensuring they have the tools they need to both educate on and grow the practice of home baking. With a concerted effort on social media channels, the HBA newsletter, and website, over 200,000 educational and instructional materials were downloaded, reaching students of all ages. Compelling new digital offering this year included a monthly calendar with expanded content, a more inclusive Baker’s Spotlight program and valuable additions to Baker’s Glossary. These efforts and new offerings are working, as HBA’s reach continues to be impressive across all channels: 120,000 newsletter subscribers, 51 blog posts and 12 new videos, just to highlight a few.
While we have learned how valuable virtual events can be in reaching large numbers of people, we have also been reminded of how important in-person connections are. Hands on professional development workshops are highly valued by teachers and teens. Over 800 4-H teen leaders learned baking STEAM connections to share with clubs and communities. Washington Wheat and 29 state Family & Consumer Sciences and Career and Technical Education teachers returned to Spokane for a two-day Baking STEAM opportunity with HBA baking educators and ranked it a top experience. Over 6,800 teachers in 24 states received the valuable Heat is an Ingredient baking resource to learn more about the importance of food safety and baking best practices.
Connecting with educators through awards continues to inspire and build relationships with those that carry out the HBA mission. This year, there were 12,000 downloads of the Bearthday Cakes Celebrations lesson, highlighting how important these lessons are to educators and, through them, this one culturally rich baking lesson will reach well over 2 million students and households in just one year. All of this isn’t possible without the critical support of HBA members. Whether it’s providing content for baking calendars, branded tools and resources, and ingredient samples, the contributions of members are what keeps the momentum going. As we move into next year, the mission of the Home Baking Association is especially critical as we enter a period of economic uncertainty. With food prices up, the interest in home baking stays strong, only further solidifying the extremely important role home baking plays in communities across the country!
– Courtney
P. Courtney Gaine, PhD, RD, HBA President
President and CEO, The Sugar Association
For additional information, contact:
Home Baking Association
2931 SW Gainsboro Road
Topeka, KS 66614-4413
(T) 785-478-3283
(F) 785-478-3024
E-mail: [email protected]
