Share Our Strength, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America, is calling on bakeries to participate in National Baking Week Aug. 29 through Sept. 4 to raise funds to combat hunger.

Restaurants and retail and in-store bakeries are encouraged to host bake sales, kick off promotions or donate a percentage of sales from the week, to support the Great American Bake Sale fundraising program aimed at eliminating child hunger in America by 2015.

Individual businesses can develop their own promotions, such as offering a limited-time signature product and donating the proceeds, or opting for a straight percentage of sale donations. Tips, promotional ideas, press release templates and formulas are available at http://GreatAmericanBakeSale.org.

Last year, more than 2,500 organizations registered to host a bake sale and raised more than $1 million. Among the 2010 participants, Whole Foods Market (Rocky Mountain region) sold giant chocolate chip cookies, donating $2 from every cookie sold. During three days, the chain sold 441 cookies, an increase of 685 percent over normal sales.