Depressed Cake Shop Portland is hosting a pop-up on Sunday to raise funds for Baby Blues Connection, a nonprofit that helps people with mental health issues during pregnancy or after giving birth.

Depressed Cake Shop is a national organization that hosts pop-ups to create a sense of community around baking.

Angie Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of Baby Blues Connection, said: “The beginning and end of something, the sense of completion of making sweets for someone else, creates a feeling of happiness.”

The pop-up has an overarching theme of removing the stigma of conversations surrounding mental health. Bakers serving treats are asked to incorporate grays to represent melancholy and pops of color to represent hope.

According to Fitzpatrick, almost all treats follow this theme, except those made by kid bakers.

The pop-up will be held on September 18th from 1-3pm at Opal 28, 510 NE 28th Ave, Portland from 1-3pm.

It is full of souvenirs. According to Fitzpatrick, people are given boxes when they enter the store, and they can walk around and fill the boxes with different bakery treats. They have vegan treats and gluten-free treats, and the treats and bakery change with each pop-up, she said.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to Baby Blues Connection.

“There’s a stigma around mental health, especially when you’ve just had a child, feeling so happy, so blessed, and just loving your baby, and that happens a lot of the time, so it’s really important. I think, Fitzpatrick said, “But for some it’s not, and I feel guilty.”

She hopes the pop-up will spark conversations about mental health, from depression to postpartum, in a neutral way.

“Okay,” she said. “It’s a safe place where you can come no matter what, no matter how you feel.”

Nearly 200 people attended the event, which Fitzpatrick said is usually very popular. This year is the first time pop-ups have returned to “normal” since the pandemic, allowing people to choose their own treats. The event itself is free.

To volunteer or become a baker for an upcoming event, message Depressed Cake Shop Portland on Facebook or Instagram.

— Destiny Johnson; djohnson@oregonian.com; @hello_destiny

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