Barrington’s Anika Denise is teaming up with Heartworks of Rhode Island to spread cheer this holiday season.

Ms. Denise is calling on residents to donate baked goods to be distributed to local families, community centers, shelters, nursing homes, and fire and police stations. She is coordinating the effort with Heartworks, a non-profit Acts of Kindness group that brings help and messages of healing to those in need.

The idea came while reading a cooking magazine with her daughter, looking for ideas for new recipes. Ms. Denise — “who wrote Baking Day at Grandma’s,” a children’s picture book about baking and sharing — was flipping through Cooking Light when an article caught her eye.

“The article called for readers to bake a second batch to share this holiday season, and to post pictures on social media with the hashtag #BakeItForward,” said Ms. Denise.

“My daughter mentioned that it sounded a lot like the premise of our picture book, where three little cubs have a baking day with their grandmother, but instead of eating all the treats themselves, they wrap them up to share and give as gifts. It got me thinking that baking it forward would be a great thing to encourage in our local community.”

Thus, #BakeItForwardBarrington was born.

“We all do a lot of baking around the holidays. Why not bake an extra batch as a thank you or a message of holiday cheer for those in need?” said Denise.

Residents interested in baking for #BakeItForwardBarrington should drop off baked goods to 31 Bluff Road in Barrington on Friday, Dec. 19 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Individually wrapped treats work best.

Borrowing from the Heartworks tradition of including written messages along with items in their Acts of Kindness outreach, Ms. Denise is asking volunteer bakers to include a signed note of good cheer to deliver with the goodies. And she’s also encouraging folks to share pictures of their goodies on social media with the hashtag #BakeItForwardBarrington.

“Kindness and giving is contagious. The more we tweet and share the #BakeItForward premise, the more we’ll encourage others to do the same,” she said.

Baked goods will be delivered all throughout the East Bay and Providence on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20 and 21.

Anyone interested in helping bake, distribute goodies, or for other #BakeItForwardBarrington-related questions, please contact Ms. Denise at aadenise@verizon.net.