Nearly 500 delegates from across California are heading to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention.
The convention begins Sunday and will include many Bay Area delegates. While those delegates are largely focused on the race for the White House, a team of volunteer bakers on the Peninsula are focused on helping other Democrats looking to win office in November.
Dina Jacobson in Los Altos is churning out small-dollar donations for the entire Democratic party via her grassroots fundraising operation "Bake Back Better."
Since 2020, Jacobson said she and a team of volunteers have baked and delivered thousands of cupcakes as a thank you gift for donors who contribute to one of her groups monthly causes for campaigns.
In total, the group has fundraised over $340,000 for various campaigns.
"It's thrilling to see how much money can be raised when that many people care about a sweet cause," Jacobson said.
For Jacobson and her volunteers, the sweet causes are focused on getting voters registered as Democrats and supporting candidates running in tight races in their state legislatures.
"That's where the power is," she said. "You get people to vote for a down-ballot candidate, they will absolutely support the top of the ticket too. The reverse is not always true."
And over the last three weeks, Bake Back Better said it has never been busier.
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"Once Kalama took the top of the ticket, it's like Baking Back Better on steroids," Jacobson said. "I'm hearing from people all over the place. It's a cupcake explosion right now."
