BATH — A pair of business owners are proving that besides being tasty, cupcakes can aid good causes, too.

Thorne Conley and Jane Conover operate C is for Cupcake, a bakery and mobile vendor that operates out of Conley’s Oak Street home. Their delectable treats go toward satisfying sweet tooths and bolstering charitable causes throughout the state.

Last Friday, a table at Conley’s house was covered with little boxes, each containing one cupcake with a pink breast cancer ribbon made of edible fondant. The women were preparing the treats to bring to last week’s Tri for a Cure, a fundraiser in South Portland for the Maine Cancer Foundation.

“We’re donating these to the 85 survivors who are in the race,” Conley said. Other cupcakes were to be sold at the event.

For every dozen cupcakes the women sell regularly, they donate the proceeds to charity. They do most of their business around Portland, but are trying to spread the word about what they do closer to their base of operations. The business offers free delivery to non-profit organizations within a 50-mile radius of Bath.

Conover and Conley started making cupcakes together in 2008, following the closing of a clothing store where they had both worked.

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“We just had so much fun over the years working together,” Conover said.

They initially made their cupcakes to donate to homeless shelters and soup kitchens, but interest in their products spurred them to start selling. Although cupcakes comprise the bulk of their talent, they also turn out an occasional miniature wedding cake.

The women have donated cupcakes to a Maine Women’s Fund luncheon (700, to be exact) and the Maine Alzheimer’s Association, as well as to Hospice of Southern Maine. Birthday and graduation parties and weddings are among the events where they sell their products.

They charge $15 for a dozen mini cupcakes, and $30 a dozen for the standard size.

Conley and Conover fondly remembered a time they brought 48 cupcakes to the Tedford Shelter in Brunswick. The building was locked, and three men sat outside the door. The women, who weren’t going to be able to come back, asked the men if they would mind taking charge of the snacks until the building was open.

“And these men, (who were) down and out … the way these men just lit up and smiled,” Conover said.

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She said she hopes the cupcakes did get delivered. “They must have,” she said, laughing. “Or they have gone into sugar shock.”

For more information, email cisforcupcake7@gmail.com, or call Conley at 841-0237 and Conover at 837-3288. Their products are also available at Cafe Creme, 56 Front St.

Alex Lear can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.

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Jane Conover, left, and Thorne Conley of Bath run C is for Cupcake, a business that donates much of its product to charitable Maine causes. Here they prepare cupcakes for last weekend’s Tri for a Cure in South Portland.


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