'God Was Using' Her 'For His Glory': Alabama Girl Bakes Nearly 2,000 Cinnamon Rolls To Raise Thousands For Local Church

A 12-year-old girl in the rural town of Mobile, Alabama has inspired people all throughout the country after she baked nearly 2,000 cinnamon rolls to raise money for church donations that would then be given to other charities around the world. 

The young girl, Meredith Allen, baked the cinnamon rolls as a part of her local church's competition where young boys and girls would compete in offering the heaviest gifts, per The Alabama Baptist. Originally, the boys held dominance over the competition, winning five straight years in a row. 

Meredith worked hard last year to make sure the girls would be able to pull out a win, making $800 through baked goods and converting that money, along with $200 of her own money, into pennies. The hard work paid off and Meredith and the girls were able to cinch their first win.

This year marked the last year that Meredith could participate in the church's vacation bible school where the competition takes place and she was dead set on winning once again. This time she would feature some changes to the strategy, like only focusing on cinnamon rolls instead of a wider array of baked goods. She also decided to do it multiple times throughout June as opposed to just once like last time. 

Meredith prepared 40 dozen cinnamon rolls each week, beginning by mixing the dough and letting it rise on Friday. She would then bake and glaze the rolls on Saturday morning where they’d then sell them from 8 to 10 am in a local park. 

Lightning struck twice for Meredith as the cinnamon rolls were a massive success with many repeat customers coming for seconds and thirds. Many who came to buy the baked goods were members of the church themselves wanting to help a cause they knew was good. 

Through her sales, the young girl was able to raise a remarkable $2,610 for her offering and allowed the girls to once again beat out the boys. The money is given to their church, the First Baptist Tillmans Corner, and then from there given to causes like a Send Network project in Puerto Rico and a missionary family in Southeast Asia.

As is imagined, her parents were immensely proud of their daughter, each giving their utmost praise for her dedication. 

“A lot of the time she spent making and selling these cinnamon rolls was sacrificial,” her mother, Lindsay Allen, said. “She could’ve been playing with friends or sleeping in … but the way God was using that to grow her character was really great.”

“God has given her baking skills to use for His glory,” her father, Derek Allen, said. “I thought it was something she might try and then get tired of, but she has taken on the responsibility of all the baking this month with perseverance and consistency.”