“Help me help others” is a simple yet powerful motto that Roslyn High School sophomore Reese Grotas lives by.
Through her business, Created With Compassion, she is blending her love for baking with her deep commitment to helping those in need. What started as a small project in the midst of the pandemic has grown into a local force for good.
Inspired by her family’s long-standing commitment to charity, Grotas combined her love for art and baking with a desire to make a difference, launching her business in 2020.
“Growing up, my family was always involved in charity events,” Grotas said. “We’d participate in gift-wrapping events at my temple and those experiences really sparked something in me.”
Grotas’s creations are as heartfelt as they are delicious. She specializes in creating chocolate-covered Oreos and pretzels. But what sets her business apart is that every purchase is a step toward helping those in need.
“I wanted my business to give back, and it was important to me that 100% of the proceeds go to charity,” she said. “It’s about making a real difference and doing it in a way that’s fun and rewarding for everyone.”
Each month, Grotas chooses a different charity to support, with a focus on hunger, homelessness and disaster relief. She selects causes that “make the most sense at the moment and resonate deeply with myself and my community,” she said. Recently, she raised $700 in just a few weeks from Valentine’s Day orders, with proceeds benefiting Altadena Girls, an organization that helps young women recover from trauma caused by natural disasters.
With every treat sold, Grotas’s impact grows stronger. She’s currently working toward expanding her reach beyond the local community by offering shipping in the future.
“I’ve had many people ask if I ship and it’s something I’m working on. I’m also building a website,” she said.
Looking ahead, Grotas said, she plans on collaborating with other nonprofits and involving more friends in the process. “It’s rewarding to have my friends help out,” she says, explaining that she’s even started offering community service hours for those who volunteer.
Grotas is not only sweetening the world one treat at a time but inspiring others to do the same. If you would like to purchase her treats or learn more about her mission, you can find more information on her Instagram page @createdwithcompassion.
