West Hartford teen tries to ‘Bake People Happy’ while working to alleviate hunger. Here’s how she does it.
Jarah Teitler, 16, is creating change in the Hartford area one brownie, blueberry muffin, slice of banana bread at a time.
Teitler, a West Hartford resident and junior at Hall High School, started her sweet mission four years ago - yes, she was 12, and it turned into a sweeping, growing movement to help those in need.
It started with a simple gesture.
Jarah baked goods for patients and staff on a floor at St. Francis Medical Center after her father had been a patient there.
They were overjoyed.
Jarah kept baking, added friends to the mix and before COVID arrived, started bringing the goods to St. Francis’ emergency department on weekends, delighting staff.
“They appreciated that. This was a heartwarming thing for the staff,” said Dr. Steven Wolf, former Emergency Department director at St. Francis and a friend of Jarah’s filmmaker dad. “Us in the ER feel isolated and at the forefront of the world.”
He said baked goods, “always hit the pleasure area of the brain.”
At one juncture Jarah gave her organization a name — “Bake People Happy” — and grew the mission to include broader community outreach to include soup kitchens, the homeless. Jarah’s now working on expansion.
She also developed the ongoing mission of getting other eateries to donate food, recently getting Lox, Stock & Bagels in West Hartford and Bruegger’s on board.
Kelly A. Toth, an APRN and system director of Neighborhood Health for Hartford Healthcare said Jarah’s movement has become a welcome staple in their neighborhood health work.
Toth said her team “meets people where they are,” and are often met with basic needs such as for food, housing and clothes.
“Once basic human needs are met, we can focus on overall health and well-being,” Toth said. “Jarah’s homemade treats allow an even more personalized touch to our mission.”
She said for those suffering from a lack of basics, “something homemade with care is very special when we give them out because it is not a common item readily available to them.”
“It helps build the trust and it let’s them let us take care of their needs,” Toth said.
She said between the homemade treats and Jarah’s recent connections with local bagel shops, they have the ability to “put food in the hands that need it the most.”
Jarah said bringing the baked goods to St. Francis gave her a push.
“It was such a profound and fulfilling experience that it turned into a social act,” she said.
Once Jarah’sfriends became involved, “We would bake together and they would come first hand to see what an impact this was having on the healthcare workers.”
Baked goods work well, she said, because, “It’s a comfort food and there’s a lot of culture with it.”
Her dad, Jeff Teitler, a filmmaking professor at Central Connecticut State University, said it’s “amazing” not only to watch Jarah grow, but to see her continue the cause, “weekend after weekend.”
“It’s inspiring,” said Jeff Teitler, who does filmmaking documentary work for St. Francis and Hartford Healthcare.
Mom Melissa Teitler, said she’s proud of her daughter, especially, “the way she’s been able to engage the community.”
“All these years later she’s back with a broad network and pulling in all these people,” Melissa Teitler said. “Her ability to get the community involved at her age is quite impressive.”
Jarah said the organizaton is “sustainable,” and she wants it all to continue to grow.
“Everywhere there’s people with food insecurity and need,” Jarah said.
Reach Pam McLoughlin at pruddell@courant.com
