Young entrepreneur has gift for giving back

Dave Lutgens, SVDP facility manager and long-time volunteer, has been friends with Nina’s grandma and family for years. A conversation about SVDP’s needs to provide more resources for the houseless, especially during the cold season, put the organization on Nina’s radar.

“It’s a good way to give back to the community. And now that I’m in high school, I also benefit from it, since I get community service hours and it’ll help me graduate,” said Nina. “But it’s always just really fun to bake, and doing it with my mom every year, it’s become a little tradition.”

The bake sale happens in the fall, and the money goes towards things like sleeping bags and tarps and tents, “to just try to help keep people sheltered a little bit and warm during the winter months,” said Jennifer Ericksen Heredia, Nina’s mom, who is licensed for domestic residential kitchens and has experience with larger food quantities.

Nina says people love their cupcakes and she and her mom do a variety of flavors with fun designs, all Halloween themed. Red velvet cupcakes with vanilla frosting are popular, as are mini loaves of bread such as banana and pumpkin.

“To think that maybe somebody is going to be a little warmer or a little drier thanks to a sweet treat cupcake,” said Jennifer.

In addition to the baking, the sale has helped Nina hone business skills including learning to budget, paying for ingredients and figuring out her gross and net sales. She created a business spreadsheet to calculate what she needs to sell and still be profitable. Inflation has increased prices a bit, but the selection of baked goods has continued to grow this year with a net $1,100 to SVDP.

Jennifer estimates 85% of sales are pre-ordered, but they have some folks stop by to pick up a few treats at the stand on sale day. The stand is full of goodies, and many add on to their pre-orders and get extra items.

“I think everybody really likes that it’s for a good cause and that they can chip in,” said Nina. 

Nina likes to stay busy, so, in addition to the annual bake sale, she created a new job making and selling lunches for staff at her mom’s workplace, Oregon Child Development Center, this summer. The staff works long hours and appreciated a homemade lunch, Nina said. Jennifer likes that her daughter is learning more on the business side, including how to price the lunches for the staff based on the ingredients she used and producing alternatives for ingredients that are cost prohibitive.

Nina is excited to be an entrepreneur, learning from her mistakes and how to make things better. She opened her own checking and savings account and is saving for college.

Jennifer believes in helping those less fortunate and has raised her children this way. Nina agrees.

“I used to not always like cleaning out my closet or toy bin for donations, but quickly learned how important it was,” she said. “I’m glad that my mom raised me doing that, and I think that was kind of, maybe part of the reason that I decided to start giving money to the community.”

The annual Halloween bake sale is already planned for Oct. 25, 2026. To preorder, visit her Facebook profile at facebook.com/jen.ericksenheredia.