New Zealand

Good Bitches cook up kindness

13:55 pm on 7 December 2015

The Good Bitches Baking charity is teaming up with Kiwibank to spread kindness and cake this holiday season.

The Good Bitches Baking founders Marie Fitzpatrick, left, and Nicole Murray. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

The brain child of Nicole Murray and Marie Fitzpatrick, Good Bitches relies on volunteers to make cakes, biscuits and slices which are then delivered to people in need.

The charity has made more than 50,000 deliveries since starting in October last year, with Ronald McDonald House, local hospices, the Women's Refuge and homeless shelters having all received home-baked goods.

Ms Murray said they came up with the idea for the charity after both experienced hard times.

And the controversial name? Being a "good bitch" is considered high praise, they say.

"It's somebody who gets in there and gets stuff done," Ms Fitzpatrick said.

The name had also helped to promote the charity, which its co-founders said had achieved 80 percent of its growth via Facebook.

"When we started, we genuinely thought we'd only have half a dozen people, but we've now got over 600 volunteers from Auckland to Invercargill," Ms Fitzpatrick said.

"It has been incredibly difficult and hard work but it's also hilarious we sort of laugh and cry in equal measure."

She believed their success was down to giving people a framework to help.

"People want to do more than put a couple of bucks in a bucket."

Kiwibank is contributing by giving its staff ingredients and recipes to boost deliveries ahead of Christmas.

Boxes of baking from the Good Bitches Baking team. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson