Sacramento food blog Munchie Musings held an online auction on Friday and Saturday to raise donations for the nonprofit ShelterBox, which will send aid and supplies to tsunami and earthquake- devastated Japan.

The bake sale was organized as an auction by Catherine Enfield, the writer behind Munchie Musings (link) blog. The idea was one she had seen before.

“Last year, I saw similar bake sales for Haiti,” she said, “but I wanted mine to be Sacramento area-oriented.”

Enfield said there were more than 52 items donated to the online auction, such as a dozen cupcakes from Angelina Ray Cupcakes, dinner for 10 from Chipotle and a dim sum brunch for five from Red Lotus Kitchen and Bar.

The auction took place on the Facebook page of Munchie Musings, more specifically in the photo album section. Pictures were taken of each baked item or gift certificate, and then people would post their bids in the comment section until midnight on Saturday, when the auction closed.

According to the Munchie Musings blog, $3,741 was raised, and Enfield said more than $3,600 has come in so far. The auction payments come in through PayPal and then are sent to the nonprofit, Shelter Box.

Shelter Box is an international organization that delivers disaster relief supplies and housing to those affected by disasters worldwide. It provides one large green box to a family, the “Shelterbox,” which is tailored towards each natural disaster but generally features a tent, a stove, blankets and other items a family may need to survive.

Enfield read about Shelter Box on a verified list of charities helping with the effort in Japan. She wanted to give money to a smaller organization that may not be as well known because she said it might need it more than some of the larger groups like the Red Cross.

“With over a million people homeless right now, it is a worthwhile charity to give people shelters to live in,” she said.

Ginger Elizabeth of Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates donated a small hat box of chocolates and also a dozen macarons from her shop.

“It's something horrible that has happened over there, and we wanted to give some support,” she said.

Elizabeth said that she also donated monetarily to charities as well as to other bake sales.

Kristy De Vaney, from the Cakegrrrl blog, donated ginger and lemongrass cupcakes. It is a recipe that can't be found anywhere in Sacramento, she said.

“What happened in Japan is out of my world,” De Vaney said, “Nothing that drastic has happened to me in life. My little cupcakes may seem like only a drop in the water, but when someone like Catherine comes along, we can build a little army to make some change.”