For every cupcake this teen baker sells, he donates a treat to the homeless

Michael Platt wants to live in a world where no one goes hungry, and he's striving to make his dream a reality.

Two years ago, the 13-year-old from Bowie, Maryland, launched his own business, Michaels Desserts, which follows the 1-for-1 model — for every cupcake, cookie, and cake he sells, he donates one treat to a homeless person. He decided to combine his love of baking with his passion for social justice, specifically ending childhood hunger and income inequality. "I knew that I wanted to make a business, but I knew I didn't just want to make money, I also wanted to help people at the same time," Platt told WJLA.

Each month, he sells more than 100 cupcakes, cookies, and other sweet creations, and then passes out the same number of treats to people living in a local park and at a domestic violence shelter. Platt recently made his first-ever wedding cake, a three-tier masterpiece, and every month, he creates a special "freedom fighter" cupcake honoring someone who inspires him; in June, he celebrated Maya Angelou with a cupcake based on her favorite dessert, banana pudding. He comes up with all of his own recipes, and told The Washington Post he purposely left out the apostrophe in "Michaels Desserts" as a reminder that he's baking for others, not himself.

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