Sweet Miss Giving's (SMG) is a nonprofit bakery that employs and trains formerly homeless individuals. Over half of SMG's profits go to Chicago House, an organization providing housing and support to the homeless and those with HIV/AIDS. Interns undergo six weeks of unpaid training in baking and job skills before receiving a six-month paid internship at SMG. Jason Durham, who previously experienced homelessness, credits SMG with turning his life around by providing stable housing and a job.

1. 14 Nov. 11, 2009
CLOSER LOOK
he silent battle can be seen every day in
Rambler Room and Market 820. “To get
acookie,ornottogetacookie?”students
debate as they stare down chocolaty
chunk goodness.
Fortunately, there is now a reason for Loyola
students to feel good about succumbing to the
power of sweets. Sweet Miss Giving’s, a not-for-
profit bakery that seeks to both employ and donate
moneytohomelessandHIV/AIDS-affectedpeople
in Chicago, now supplies baked goods for sale at
Loyola.
With the motto “Unquestionably kind,
unreasonably good,” Sweet Miss Giving’s (SMG)
sells high end sweets and gives more than half of
its profits to the Chicago House, an
organization that provides housing
for the homeless and those with
HIV/AIDS.
The bakery is the brainchild
of Rev. Stan Sloan, the CEO of the
Chicago House. He was looking for
a way to use business to benefit the
organization when he encountered
Stephen Smith, who was then a
community organizer working on a
familyhomelessnesscampaign.ThoughSmithdidn’t
haveanybakingorbusinessexperience,Sloanknew
he was the man for the job. “[Sloan] is a wonderful,
wonderful man,” said Smith. “He is also one of
our favorite taste testers.” One can imagine what a
coveted position that must be.
The bakery’s staff consists of formerly
homeless adults who need work experience. “Our
interns have been on the job market and can’t get
a second look because they don’t have a first job,”
said Stephen Smith, the chief executive of SMG.
“This is that first job.”
The interns, who all come through the
Chicago House, must go through a training
program for six weeks to acquire skills that will
not only help them perform their bakery job, but
that will also be necessary when they look for
jobs after their internships.They learn everything
from production and packaging to delivery and
customer service. If they can make it through
the training, they are given a six month paid
internship at the bakery.
Jason Durham, 28, has been working at the
bakery near the North/Clybourn
RedLinestopformorethaneight
months. Durham, who swears by
SMG’s blueberry muffins, has
been a professional staff member
at the bakery since graduating
from his internship two months
ago. He is currently working at
the factory, but will be going into
customer service when a new
SMG storefront market opens
up at Ogilvie Station (located at 500 W. Madison
St.) on Nov. 12.
Previously a maintenance worker at a
McDonald’s in Kalamazoo, Mich., Durham had
neverhadanybakingexperience.Hehadbeenback
in Chicago for a year, living in a crowded studio
apartment with his mom and sister, which he said
prevented him from getting the right amount of
rest to make a living.
It was then that Durham met Sloan, who
saw that Durham was stressed. Sloan introduced
Durham to Chicago House and got him an
apartment. Durham now lives in Uptown instead
ofstayingin“thehundreds,”locatedontheSouth
Side of Chicago. “It’s quiet where I am now,” says
Durham. “And I thank Reverend Sloan for that.”
Durham added SMG helped him turn his
life around, and that he can see himself doing
something like this for the rest of his life. “There
are no words for it,” he said. “This is like heaven-
sent to me.”
When Mayor Daley snipped the ribbon
more than a year ago, nobody knew the success
that would come out of SMG, given the state of
theeconomy.“Wepickedtheabsoluteworsttime
in the last six years to open a bakery,” said Smith.
“Truthfully, we’ve been doing really well.” He add
SMG sold six times as much last month than it
did in January.
“Everyone here works insanely hard,” said
Smith. “Whether it’s our interns who work for six
weekswithoutpaytolearnthis,orourprofessional
staff who could be working at some high end
restaurant with a bigger pay check, everyone is
making some sort of sacrifice to be here.”
Although now students might not have
to debate whether or not to get a cookie, they
might take some time in deciding which kind. If
you need advice, Stephen Smith says the German
chocolate brownies are “unreal.” No matter the
flavor, your cookie could do a lot more good than
you might think.
All in a day’s work (left) — Interns (from left to right) James, Rosalind, Angel and Patrick at Sweet Miss Giving’s (SMG) bakery make fresh-
baked goods in the SMG kitchen. The interns participate in a job program that allows them to bake goods for charity while also getting back
on their own two feet after being homeless.
Hello, cupcake (right) — Colton, an intern at SMG, prepares cupcake sheets for baking. Over half of SMG’s proceeds go to formerly homeless
and HIV/AIDS-affected men, women and children of Chicago House.
“This is like heaven-
sent to me.”
JasonDurham
SMG bakery intern

2. page 17
15Nov. 11, 2009
CLOSER LOOK
Closer Look speaks to Sweet Miss Giving’s, the bakery behind the tasty (and charitable) treats in Rambler Room and Market 820..
by Elizabeth Noel
Closer Look Writer
“Me want cookie!” (top left) — Cookies being prepared for distribution to
Loyola University are placed on racks of baking sheets.
How the cookie crumbled (top right) — Macer, an intern at SMG, wraps the
cookies that make their way to Loyola’s Rambler Room and Market 820.
“Chocolate Rain” (bottom left) — Interns (from left to right) Colton, Angel
and Patrick pour some chocolate into a container. Formerly homeless,
workers at SMG take part in a six-month paid internship program.
Ingredients for success (bottom right) — SMG prides itself on using “high-
energy” ingredients such as cranberries, cherries, golden raisins, dates,
pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and flaxseed in their baked goods.
Design by Sidra Zaidi, Closer Look Editor
All photos The Phoenix/Alicia Ramirez