Christmas is the time for baking. While many are icing sugar cookies to enjoy with loved ones, Joanne Canellos, of Sterling, has been hard at work making baklava. This is a layered pastry dessert filled with nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey.
Since November, Canellos has baked each tray with love and gratitude, knowing it’s serving an incredible cause close to her heart. She is selling the baked goods to the community with all the proceeds going to the pediatric unit with Capital Caring Health, a non-profit hospice and palliative care organization serving the DC Metro region.
Canellos has volunteered with the nonprofit for the last four years, particularly volunteering with the Pediatric Elf Squad. This is a volunteer group that collects presents for the holidays and delivers to children facing a life-limiting prognosis. Typically Canellos bakes for family and friends, but this year she chose to bake baklava as a fundraiser.
“Their pediatric unit these last few years has been growing rapidly,” says Canellos. “So in an effort to help the unit as well as their patients, we had a large gathering on December fourth where we wrapped over 500 presents for pediatric patients and their siblings. In addition to that effort, I decided to bake baklava for the holidays,” she explains.
Canellos has raised nearly $3,000 through her bake sale. The money will be used throughout the year for pediatric gifts to cover the holidays and birthdays. “I started volunteering with hospice in memory of my dad who I lost in 1992 to cancer. This is my way of giving back in honor of him,” says Canellos.
She plans to bake until January 1. Anyone interested in donating or receiving an order, you can reach Joanne through email, jcanellos@capitalcaring.org.
Capital Caring Hospice
Capital Caring provides “patients and their families with the highest quality advanced illness care,” according to its mission statement. “Patients and families impacted by advanced illness receive the care and wrap-around services they need and deserve regardless of a families’ ability to pay.”
As a non-profit, Capital Caring Health is proud of providing $3 million annually in inpatient care services to families without coverage or financial means to pay for the care they need. Capital Caring Health spends nearly 90 cents of every dollar raised directly on patient care and family support.
Learn more at capitalcaring.org.
