Toni Poulos
Toni Poulos

Toni Poulos has been stationed at her computer until well after midnight each night trying to answer the volume of e-mails she receives since People magazine named her a Hero Among Us in the Aug. 22 issue.

“I’ve had responses from arson investigators, vice presidents of companies, children, doctors, lawyers and moms like me,” she said.

Even Rachael Ray’s production team has contacted the Sand Mountain mom to appear on the TV food star’s show, which she will tape in New York later this fall.

“It’s been insane,” said Mrs. Poulos, who founded Free Cakes for Kids one year ago. “I’ve answered literally hundreds and hundreds of e-mails. I want to try to answer each personally, not send a generic answer, because so many are asking how to start Free Cakes for Kids in their cities.”

One year ago, Mrs. Poulos began baking free birthday cakes in her Trenton, Ga., home for children who might not otherwise have that small joy on their special day.

She began with a cake for a foster child living in her home. When that 8-year-old burst into tears of joy, Mrs. Poulos was moved to help other children of families in need.

Mrs. Poulos will not only bake a cake for any child up to age 18 , but custom-decorate it. There is no hidden catch, no gimmick. All it takes is a parent’s request for help.

Since January, Mrs. Poulos estimates she has baked, decorated and delivered more than 180 free birthday cakes — all on her own dime.

People magazine reporter Maureen Harrington contacted the Times Free Press after seeing a report about the North Georgian online. People sent a crew to the Poulos’ home and spent eight hours photographing the North Georgia homemaker in her kitchen surrounded by 55 cakes.

Since the magazine article ran, her one-woman effort has blossomed into a nationwide chain of bakers. Mrs. Poulos said she has begun paperwork to file for 501(c)3 status.

“As of Thursday, there are 114 new chapters of Free Cakes for Kids,” Mrs. Poulos said with pride, “and I’m still going through e-mails.”

Free Cakes are being baked in all corners of the country: Hawaii, Alaska, California, Washington State, Florida and Connecticut.

“We even have a chapter in Puerto Rico,” Mrs. Poulos adds. She is in the process of linking all these new cake chapters to her Web site.

Ooltewah resident Toni Frost is among the bakers who responded after reading about Mrs. Poulos.

“I enjoy making cakes as well. I had been trying to decide what I wanted to do with my hobby and when I read her story it was inspiring and I figured I could help in this area,” Ms. Frost said.

Thursday morning, Mrs. Poulos received a half-dozen phone calls from Jacksonville, Fla., after a local morning news show read the magazine article on-air.

Mrs. Poulos said she has also received some cash contributions. One that particularly touched her came from a Los Angeles mother who enclosed a letter and photo of her daughter and best friend manning a lemonade stand over Labor Day weekend.

“Their names are Megan and Julia and they go to Legacy Christian Academy where character education is part of their daily schedule. The mother said they were so moved by my character that they took the article from People and put it up in their stand to raise money for Free Cakes for Kids. They called it “Lemon-Aid,” Mrs. Poulos explained.

Enclosed with the photo and letters was $270 raised by the 11-year-olds in sales.