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What could be sweeter than homemade baked goods and raising money for kids and childhood hunger?

Really.

This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Southwest Community Farmers' Market at Tropical Park will play host to Miami's finest food bloggers and their annual bake sale benefitting Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry charity and campaign.

All proceeds will go directly to the Miami team's goal, which they hope will beat last year's total of $3,652.

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Humane Society of Miami

Drinking has officially gone to the dogs.

Miamians sure do love their pets. On Lincoln Road, hundreds of pampered pooches (and an occasional cat, monkey, or iguana) can be seen wearing designer duds. There they are, strolling on rhinestone leashes (in some cases, maybe even diamonds) and having a snack at an outdoor café.

Yet for every dog or cat that has a happy home, there are dozens of puppies and kitties in shelters awaiting a forever home. The solution: Adopt a loving companion, spay or neuter your pet, and drink for the cause at the fourth annual Spankyfest pub crawl.

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With its chill atmosphere, killer music, and stiff drinks, it's not like you need yet another reason to imbibe at Miami's oldest (and arguably most charming) dive bar. But here's one anyway: For $20, you can toss a few back, listen to live tunes, and feel morally upright about your drinking decisions.

From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21, Tobacco Road will host Cocktails for a Cause, a charity event to benefit Communities in Schools of Miami (CIS), a nonprofit designed to help keep kids in the classroom.

See also:
- Top Ten Reasons Tobacco Road Should Live Another 100 Years
- Tobacco Road's Flying Tomato Smash & Bash Returns to Cure Your Aggression

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Animal lovers, March is the time to haul ass to RA Sushi in South Miami, where the purchase of a mouthwatering roll means helping homeless pets. And what's worthier than adorable puppies and cutie-pie kittens?

Last month, Short Order's Laine Doss took home top prize in RA's Foodies Show Heart charity competition. Her "Tropical Heat Roll" (tuna, avocado, mango, and jalapeño rolled in rice and seaweed with mango salsa) won big, and half the proceeds from the purchase of the $10 roll will benefit Tri County Humane Society, a no-kill shelter that saves thousands of pets every year.

See also:
- Short Order Wins RA Sushi Competition, Homeless Pets Benefit

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Laine Doss

The Tropical Heat Roll

About a week ago RA Sushi extended a challenge to me and other food writers in Miami -- create a sushi roll for an event at the popular restaurant. If it gets the most votes -- both online and in person -- it will be featured on the menu for 30 days -- with a portion of proceeds donated to your favorite charity.

Who could turn down the opportunity to make a sushi roll, co-host a fabulous party, and raise money and awareness for a local charity?

I couldn't, so I went down to the South Miami restaurant and worked with their chef to make a sushi roll that best represented the flavors of our city.

The Tropical Heat roll features fresh mango, avocado, jalapeno, and tuna. It's accompanied by some sweet and savory mango salsa. As a finishing touch, a drizzle of sriracha is served on the plate for people who like a little more spice in their lives.

The charity I'm playing for is Tri-County Humane Society, a small no-kill animal shelter serving  Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. The shelter, which runs on a tight budget, rescues many dogs and cats from dire situations. Recently, they took in over 50 chihuahuas from a hoarding situation in Hialeah, where they were housed in an industrial warehouse bay.

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St. Timothy Men's Club

One of last year's (un)lucky contestants.

Cooking meat en masse generally warrants a party, so it's no surprise that in five years a 'friendly' pig cooking competition ballooned into a daylong event that last year brought out more than 1,000 people.

Long live Latin bravado.

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Courtesy Anthony Fasano

Anthony Fasano wants to buy you lunch.

It's Christmas time and between all that hustling around to malls and parties, we really should take a moment to help others less fortunate than us in our own community.

Miami Dolphin Anthony Fasano believes that too, which is why he's trading in his football uniform for a kitchen apron for one day to serve you delicious free sandwiches from Ms. Cheezious food truck.

Plus, every time he serves you a sandwich, a meal will be donated to the Feeding South Florida Program.  Up to 300 free sandwiches will be given away, and up to 1,000 meals will be donated to Feeding South Florida.

Today, December 11 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., come out to Bayfront Park, where the first 300 people will get a gooey, hot, and delicious Ms. Cheezious sandwich, served by tight end Anthony Fasano himself -- absolutely free!

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Paul & Young Ron accept a donation from BurgerFi on behalf of Feeding South Florida. From left to right: Paul Castronovo, Louis Torelli, Emma Garcia,"Young Ron" Brewer

'Tis the season of giving, and the citizens and businesses of South Florida are not shy about sharing in the celebration with those less fortunate. From Palm Beach to Homestead, those in the position to help others are sharing the wealth. Short Oder challenges our readers to do their part by reaching out to one of several entities dedicated to making a difference this holiday season.

Perhaps the most obvious vehicle the everyday person can use to give back to their community is the tri-county Feeding South Florida food bank. FSF, which is based in Pembroke Pines, allows you to donate either money or your time through their website. You can do your part in several ways, even vowing to reduce the amount of food that goes to waste, currently at a shocking 20 percent.

FSF focuses on reducing the most shocking stat of all -- one in six South Floridians do not know where their next meal will come from.  The recession caused the amount of food and money donated to decrease in 2008 and 2009, according to The Fund Raising School at Indiana University. For the past two years, however, the number has slowly increased. "Those increases are a positive indicator that suggest that people want to be generous even when times are tough," Tim Seiler, a professor of philanthropic studies told the Miami Herald.

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All photos by Laine Doss

Hedy Goldsmith hosts Sweet Lemonade event at Marlins Park.

It's not every day that a humble baker sees her name on a Jumbotron, but that was the case last evening at the Sweet Lemonade event to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, which raises funds to fight childhood cancers mainly through parties and lemonade stands. The event was hosted by Michael's Genuine Food and Drink's Hedy Goldsmith at Marlins Park.

Read also:
- Best Chef 2012: Hedy Goldsmith

ALSF was founded by a little girl with big dreams. Alexandra "Alex" Scott wasn't even a year old when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer. The determined little girl beat that cancer, only to have it return before her fourth birthday. It was then she told her mother, Liz Scott, she wanted to start a lemonade stand when she got out of the hospital to raise money to help her doctors find a cure for childhood cancers. Instead of raising a few bucks, little Alex raised $2,000 that first day.
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Via @bluecollarmiami

Pink is the way.

Miami restaurants may have a reputation for being notoriously overpriced and overrated. There are some places that locals dare not go, but ask any tourist in South Beach and that's the first spot they want to dine. And then there are the places that, no matter what, keep it on a local level -- always catering to what Miami dwellers want and need.

That being said, Miami loves breasts. It's a boobilicious city, and whether you have real ones or enhanced ones, Miami loves ya for it. That's why we love restaurants that've taken a stand to help find a cure for breast cancer by offering a percent of their proceeds to the cause.

Whether you've battled through breast cancer yourself or have loved and lost someone to it, a good meal with a good cause is always a great answer. And thanks to these charitable South Florida restaurants, you have that option all month long.

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