# My coworkers having bake sale to raise $ for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057 "2011-09-29T19:59:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/21 "2011-09-30T16:34:28Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Date squares, banana bread, zucchini bread, po’e, etc. > \ > I don’t make sex in a pan, or maple fudge, or that type of thing. > [@StGermain](#): > > What’s po’e? > > StG Who cares?! I want to hear more about “sex in a pan”! ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/22 "2011-09-30T16:39:59Z")
The key is moderation. I doubt a bake sale is going to corrupt a normally healthy person. Nor will it make a difference for an obese person, either, because they got that way sans the bake sale. My advice is to chill out. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/23 "2011-09-30T20:15:04Z")
I am ignoring the issues around Type 2 diabetes because this is a fundraiser for Type 1. They’re not connected. I don’t think buying something at one bake sale is likely to increase anyone’s risk of Type 2, either. ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/24 "2011-09-30T21:47:32Z")
Also it’s a workplace fundraiser, and a bakesale is something that works well in a lot of offices. People who want to bake can bake at home, people who want to help but don’t bake can be customers, and people who don’t do the ‘giving at work’ thing can just say they’re on a diet. And there’s no time lost during the workday or at home, except for the people who volunteered to bake. The alternative here is not necessarily a better fundraiser for diabetes, it could be a fundraiser for some other charity that just goes along with the organizer’s fondness of bakesales. Or having no workplace fundraiser at all because someone always has a problem with something. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/25 "2011-09-30T21:57:17Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > What do you make? I find it’s pretty hard to do baked goods that aren’t high carb. Flour is just as bad as sugar, at least for my body. > > (and once again, that’s not to say I don’t eat them, in moderation. But my days of sitting and eating half a loaf of fresh-baked bread straight from the oven are long over.) Almond and coconut flour in addition to splenda/erythritol. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/26 "2011-10-01T03:04:58Z")
People who get upset in contexts like this make my life fucking miserable. Close this thread and go count your blessings. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/27 "2011-10-01T05:41:52Z")
If you’ve got diabeetus, you check your blood sugar and you check it often. There’s no reason not to. [/Wilford Brimley] ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/28 "2011-10-01T10:07:03Z")
Many people are more likely to donate money if they get something back, however small. Some of us love to bake but don’t want to eat an entire pan of “The Next Best Thing To Robert Redford” (known elsewhere as “sex in a pan”). Baked goods are not inherently evil or even unhealthy in reasonable quantities. Bake sales are easy to organize and set up, requiring no city permits, police involvement, tons of precious time, street closings, posters, ugly t-shirts and all that walking and running that discriminates against those of us with severe joint pain and lack of cartilage in our knees. Better to earn a dollar from a cookie than no money at all. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/29 "2011-10-01T10:59:39Z")
I’m Type 1 diabetic. It has always irked me that no one ever had any sugar-free stuff for sale at any of the bake sales I’ve gone to. So, when our volunteer fire department, and my daughter’s grade school (as well as other assorted organizations I was associated with) had a bake sale, I made sure to make a couple of sugar-free/low carb treats, as well as a couple regular sugared items. You wouldn’t believe the compliments we received because of it. Many others followed suit, and we _always_ ended up selling all of the sugar-free/low carb treats, as well as the regular stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/30 "2011-10-01T15:07:25Z")
I don’t think the bake sale is terribly inappropriate. Any off-note pales next to the opening of the bariatric (weight-loss) surgery clinic at one of the hospitals I work at, when they announced over the intercom that everyone was invited to the grand opening where they’d be serving cake and cookies. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/31 "2011-10-01T15:20:26Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > What’s po’e? > > StG Po’e is a treat from Tahiti - it’s made with tapioca flour, coconut milk and bananas. You bake it in the oven and then pour coconut milk over it. It’s high-ish in fat, but lower in carbs and has no sugar other than the fruit sugar from the banana. > [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Who cares?! I want to hear more about “sex in a pan”! Sex in a pan is an absurd combination of chocolate, cream, fluff, etc. that should really not be eaten by anybody. It’s some tasty though… ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/32 "2011-10-01T19:55:25Z")
Voted reasonable and I’ve been type one since 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/33 "2011-10-01T23:51:31Z")
> [@Lissla\_Lissar](#): > > I am ignoring the issues around Type 2 diabetes because this is a fundraiser for Type 1. They’re not connected. I don’t think buying something at one bake sale is likely to increase anyone’s risk of Type 2, either. As the other mom of a child with type 1, I totally agree with both of Lissla’s posts. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the situation in the OP. It’s interesting that 90% of people with diabetes are type 2, but 90% of the fundraising is done by families of type 1. If we had more support from type 2, we might have more of a shot of finding a cure for both. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/34 "2011-10-02T00:11:32Z")
The JDRF’s annual Spring for a Cure event in NYC consists of dozens of local restaurants and vendors that provide all manner of food, booze and desserts to raise money. It’s actually quite the gala. I’m sure your bake sale treats will be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/35 "2011-10-02T05:30:35Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Diabetic here, the kind the OP’s coworker’s are raising money for. > > Yes, diabetics can eat sugar. No, sugar does not cause diabetes. > > But still, I gotta say, if I were having a fundraiser for diabetes, I’d be thinking something along the lines of a 5K walk/run or car/dog wash or something that doesn’t promote eating stuff that should be eaten only sparingly (for everyone, not just diabetics). An unhealthy diet is unhealthy for everyone, and it’s even more important for those of us who have chronic diseases. Wouldn’t it be even better to have a fundraiser that promoted healthy living? > > On a related note, a few month’s ago a local group had a spaghetti dinner to raise money for a local diabetes education center. Given that the center is something like 90% skewed towards Type 2 (which is even more related to diet/exercise) I found that even more ironic than a bake sale for Type 1. > > No, but at the same time, it’s not completely unreasonable to assume there’d be some diabetics at the fundraiser. Lots of us are pretty vocal about our disease and want to take part in fundraisers and other such events. It’d be nice to go there and not be surrounded by temptation. (For the record, I do eat sweets, but if I eat more than a moderate amount, I spend the rest of the day chasing blood sugars. Not fun. So yeah, spending more than a few minutes at a bake sale is not really my favorite use of time.) This sounds to me like a great opportunity to sell baked goods made with less sugar and fat and advertise that fact. Showing people that monitoring your diet can still be tasty would educate while making money. In other threads I’ve talked about how I don’t deny myself “treats” anymore, but that’s my own personal choice for ME; I would never sell “sugar-on-a-stick” for a diabetes fund-raiser. It sounds as absurd to me as it does to the OP. I have Type 2 diabetes and lost 70lbs on a good diet and exercise. Took about a year and now (years later) I’ve gained some of it back. I’m not freaking out about it tho. I’ll eventually lose it—or I won’t. But I wouldn’t encourage other people to indulge and say it’s for a good cause, especially when that cause requires responsible maintenance. So there. lol ---
**Author:** ![Mopal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Mopal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mopal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057/36 "2011-10-04T18:42:01Z")
In my area I’ve been approached when leaving a local store by kids selling those big fundraiser candy bars for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. When I politely declined, explaining that I was a diabetic a parent came rushing over to tell me I could just make a donation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-having-bake-sale-to-raise-for-the-juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation/598057.md?page=1)