Easterns Blog

During the pandemic, Hunter and Sydney Guthrie started donating baked goods to the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, a food-insecure community in Fairfax county.

“Biscuits, brownies, cookies,” Sydney said. “We found out as we kept doing this that there was a greater need for this because they weren’t turning anyone away.”

Along with their mom, they created a nonprofit called A Taste of Home. Food requests are not turned away as a result of a no-refusal policy implemented at the shelter.

“They were accepting more people, so we felt a moral obligation to provide more goods so that we would be able to make up for that,” Sydney explained.

More than 100,000 servings of baked goods have been donated to the shelter with help from Panera. Sydney and Hunter were also joined by students across Fairfax County in their mission to provide baked goods for as many people as possible.

Amazed by their drive to help feed others Joel Bassam with Easterns Automotive Group surprised Taste of Home with a 7News Helping Hand.

“Nothing touches our heart more than feeding people who are hungry. The fact that you have done over 100,000 servings through A Taste of Home is absolutely amazing, and we want to support your cause by donating $2,200 so you can keep helping those who are in need. Keep doing the amazing work that you are doing!”

Hunter and Sydney will be able to bake more for those in need with the help of Easterns Automotive, but their vision is to do even bigger and better things in the future.

“My hope is that we can ask grocery stores to discount items so that this can go even further,” their mother, Keira Guthrie, said.