Every year, countless birthdays go unnoticed, but in Charlotte, North Carolina, one baker is committed to changing that. Manolo Betancur, the owner of Manolo’s Bakery, has been quietly delivering free birthday cakes to people experiencing homelessness for more than 12 years. 

What started with a simple question—“Where do you get birthday cakes for the folks you serve?”—led Manolo to partner with a local nonprofit. When he heard the answer was “nowhere,” he stepped in. Now, his bakery regularly donates freshly baked vanilla sheet cakes (sometimes with caramel or peaches) to mark birthdays that might otherwise go uncelebrated. One memorable recipient even tearfully revealed it was the first birthday cake he’d ever received. 

For Manolo, it’s simple: “They’re our neighbors.” These small acts, like a cake shared with kindness, can bring recognition, dignity, and joy to lives too often overlooked.