In Portland, Oregon, about 13,500 people are diagnosed with brain injuries every year — around 2% of the city’s population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falling is the leading cause of these injuries.
Located in southwest Portland, Sarah Bellum’s Bakery & Workshop provides jobs for adults with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). The bakery offers a wide variety of handcrafted cupcakes with monthly rotating flavors. A few of their seasonal flavors include lemon blueberry, mint chocolate chip and red velvet. There are always classics such as pure vanilla and chocolate-vanilla as well as gluten free and vegan options, so everyone is guaranteed to find something they enjoy. The bakery even serves PUPcakes for customers furry friends.
Sarah Bellum used to sell a wide variety of desserts including brownies, cheesecakes, macaroons and more. Sadly, the bakery was forced to cut down to only cupcakes due to lack of funding. Brandon Scarth, a salesperson and baker at Sarah Bellum, says, “I love the berry bars, but they don’t make them anymore.”
The bakery’s name is a witty play on the word “cerebellum,” the part of the brain that holds over half the neurons in the human body. Neurons send messages to the body to do things like eat, talk, breathe, walk and think, making the cerebellum vital for completing everyday tasks.
Upon entering the cheery, sunlit bakery, there is a display case adorned with an array of delicious cupcakes, showcasing both the shop’s monthly specials and their permanent flavors. In total, the bakery carries around 10 different options. The cupcakes come in both a mini and a regular size that are priced accordingly.
In the kitchen, there are four baking stations, each with a stand mixer. The farthest station is reserved for vegan and gluten free options to avoid cross-contamination.
To the right of the front door is a red sign with a white illustration of a cupcake encasing the phrase, “Changing lives one cupcake at a time.” The slogan is found in several places throughout the bakery and has become the message of Sarah Bellum.
“Memory is probably the most common challenge that people experience with a traumatic brain injury,” says one of the managers at the bakery, Lisa Hutton. In order to remember what tasks they have completed while baking, there is a laminated task sheet with check boxes so that employees can check things off as they go. Additionally, everything is clearly labeled to avoid confusion, and the staff wear name tags so employees don’t have to worry about forgetting someone’s name.
Portland State University (PSU) students in the speech language pathology program volunteer at the bakery and work with employees. Some students have a background in occupational therapy as well, which helps to further support the bakers. There are around 50 volunteers with TBIs that are paired with students from PSU.
The bakery was founded by Dr. Rik Lemoncello, a professor of speech language pathology at PSU, during the summer of 2016. After branding and marketing, the bakery was launched in 2017. During their first year of business, Sarah Bellum made its revenue solely from cupcakes sold at the Oregon Health & Science University farmers market. The following year, the bakery branched out and sold cupcakes at eight different farmers markets. In the fall of 2018, they found property for lease at 7828 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, Oregon — the storefront that would eventually become the business’ home.
The Sarah Bellum team raised over $50,000 in September 2018, to upgrade the building, buy equipment and add a commercial kitchen and retail cafe. On Dec. 11, 2018, they were ready to open their doors to the public. Over the past seven years, the bakery has become a support system for over 40 individuals with brain injuries. At Sarah Bellum, they work as salespeople, bakers or both.
Sarah Bellum was on a stable growth trajectory until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, forcing the bakery to shut down for a couple of months. Eventually, the bakery found ways to safely resume production, taking orders but keeping their doors closed to the public. Quite a few of the volunteers who were either retired occupational therapists or speech language pathologists came in on their own to do a day’s worth of baking without a crew.
In order to keep the community aspect alive during the pandemic, the volunteers had “a lot of meetings on Zoom,” says Hutton. Additionally, the Sarah Bellum staff delivered handmade cards to healthcare workers and primary school teachers to show their support. They officially opened back up in April 2021 with a fully vaccinated team.
Shifts at Sarah Bellum vary from job to job. Bakers typically start their days around 10:00 a.m. and stay until 2:00 p.m. The front-of-house team has a few different shifts; one in the morning from 10:00 a.m.–2:00p.m., one in the afternoon from 2:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. and one from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Sarah Bellum’s application process is simple and the bakery frequently accepts new hires. People who are interested in working at Sarah Bellum can walk into the bakery and express their interest in applying for a position. Applicants then fill out a form. If their application is approved, potential employees will discuss a good starting date, either in person or via email. It is not a requirement to have a brain injury to work at Sarah Bellum.
The bakery strives to build a strong community of individuals with TBIs that can support and understand one another through their shared experiences. Hutton says, “We want people to have a sense of other people who have a brain injury like themselves, and they don’t have to explain that they forget as often as they do to each other, ’cause they all know what (the others are) experiencing.”
Scarth says, “I love just the opportunity that it gives us to communicate with the basic public about what brain injuries are.” Working there, Scarth says, allows him to “help and be a productive member of society.”
Sarah Bellum plays a vital role in building a supportive community and positive environment for people with TBIs. However, as Sarah Bellum is a non-profit, it relies entirely on donations and outside funding. The products they sell only cover 50% of the production costs, so Sarah Bellum Bakery & Workshop likely won’t survive past this year unless there is a large increase in revenue. As such, all contributions are deeply appreciated.
Lisa Hutton says, “When they say it’s changing lives one cupcake at a time, it’s changing the lives of the people that are the crew but it’s also changing the lives of the people outside that come in and get our cupcakes. They feel a little different after realizing how grateful (the crew) are.”
