There’s a war going on this Sunday, July 23, at First Baptist Church in White House, but don’t worry, it’s all for a good cause.

The 6th Annual Potato Bar and Cake War at White House First Baptist Church benefits children in Haiti. Specifically, all proceeds of this event go directly towards the salaries and ongoing costs involved in maintaining the Complexe Educatif De Laffiteau, a Kindergarten through 12th grade brick and mortar school located in Minoterie, Haiti, and a ministry of the church.

According to Kimberley Reed-Bracey Johnson, The Haiti Ministry Head at White House First Baptist since 2009, “This is our biggest fundraiser for our school of 265 children. We’ve always looked for ways to raise funds for the ministry, and we came up with the idea for this competition because we have so many women in our church who love to bake.” 

Entries for the Cake War are not judged on taste— they are evaluated solely on the way they are decorated. Kimberley describes the process, “We have different categories including Best Overall Cake, Most Beautiful Cake, Most Creative Cake, and the absolute most comical one is the category of Ugliest Cake.”

Past entries for the latter have included a cat litter box cake, as well as an ashtray cake, complete with cigarette butts. 

The Potato Bar and Cake War event has increasingly gained notoriety over the years, perhaps in no small part due to its entertainment value. A five dollar entrance fee includes a baked potato bar dinner, as well as musical accompaniment provided by bluegrass band, The White House Skillet Lickers, and crooner, Sammy D. 

Additionally, attendees are afforded the opportunity to bid on cake entries during an auction, facilitated by none other than Kimberley Reed-Bracey Johnson herself, who will be serving as auctioneer. Kimberley, who will represent the state of Kentucky in this year’s Miss Senior America pageant, is no stranger to the stage. Thanks to her, cakes have had bids as high as $600 in past years. 

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This event, first hosted in 2018, started out small but has grown steadily. “This year, we’ve received entry forms from Goodlettsville as well as other counties. We had about 150 people in attendance last year, and we’re anticipating more this year, so we’ve moved it into the sanctuary.”

In addition to her role as the Haiti Ministry Head at White House First Baptist, Kimberley is a practicing trial attorney and a co-founder of the non-profit organization, TIME4Haiti, where she serves as CEO. TIME4Haiti funded the construction of the 14-room Complexe Educatif De Laffiteau and the church rebuild in the area. “I didn’t find the ministry, the ministry found me,” says Kimberley.

The ministry found Kimberley when she visited Haiti and saw first hand the dire need for education and financial resources throughout her many trips to the country.

“They want to work but there are no opportunities. I was a schoolteacher before I was a lawyer, and I saw the need for improvements in education. We started a school in a tent with the idea that we could educate one family, but 300 kids showed up,” says Kimberley.

To date, Kimberley has visited Haiti 51 times, learned to speak Haitian Creole, and taken in two Haitian children she refers to as her sons. 

Regardless of whether you choose to place a bid at the cake auction or simply pay the entrance fee and enjoy dinner, the proceeds of the 6th Annual Potato Bar and Cake War at White House First Baptist Church will be used to substantially improve an impoverished child’s life. 

The five dollar entry fee will be enough to feed one child for five days, and the additional funds raised from auctioning cakes will help the children of Haiti substantially more than that. 

This Sunday, July 23, at 5:00 p.m., come join in the fun and contribute to a global cause at the White House First Baptist Church, 2800 Highway 31W in White House.