KCSP’s Cody Tapp turns to baking to help others affected by COVID-19 economic decline
When Brad Porter lost his job at WHB (810 AM) last month, he heard from a number of friends, including one at a rival station, KCSP (610 AM).
Cody Tapp, who is co-host of “Cody & Gold,” told Porter to reach out if he needed anything.
“I didn’t really think much of it, and then it was (last) Friday or Saturday and he was like, ’Hey, I’m gonna have some fresh baked bread and muffins and cookies. Do you want me to drop them off?” Porter said. “I was like, ‘Yeah!’
“We live pretty close to each other ... and he came by and gave me a loaf of French bread and muffins and cookies. You can never get never underestimate the kindness of people. It was is a very nice thing to do. I mean, it might seem might seem small, somebody’s just bringing you a couple of things, but it was a very nice thing to do.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the economy with people losing their jobs, being furloughed or taking a paycut.
So Tapp and his wife, Emma, were brainstorming ideas of how to help those whose paycheck has been reduced or disappeared.
“I thought well, I could probably bake people food, like care packages for people who were affected by it, essentially,” Tapp said. “I figure people always need food plus I enjoy baking.
“So I figured if we picked up a few things from the store, we could do it. It took a couple of weeks just because I couldn’t buy everything at once because some supplies were limited.”
In addition to Porter, Tapp dropped off baked goods to a friend whose hours were cut at KC Bier Company and neighbors who work in the service industry.
Tapp always enjoyed cooking and dabbled with baking when he took a deeper dive last year while covering the Royals at spring training.
Six weeks in Arizona away from his wife and two kids gave Tapp plenty of time to work on new recipes, many of which were inspired by actress Jenna Fischer of “The Office.” His wife sent Tapp off to the desert with a baking book, a scale and other items needed to work on his craft.
Tapp continued baking back in Kansas City, sharing photos on social media, and getting help from his daughter, Ruby, who is 3.
“She will help me make cookies or help me make muffins,” Tapp said. “She’ll sit in there and stir stuff and turn things on and mix things in. So I can do that and still play with my kids or be with my kids and not just leave my wife in charge, because we’re both home all the time now.
“She’s got more with the kids on her plate during the day because I have to do the show. I’m doing it from the basement, but of the four hours of the show, I’m on the air, three hours and 20 minutes of it. So I try not to like, just be like, hey, please watch the kids for another eight hours while I bake.”
Tapp is planning a second round of home deliveries, either this weekend or next. The cookies, muffins and bread will continue beyond that.
“Originally, I bought enough flour and stuff to do maybe 15 or 20 of those (gift packages),” Tapp said. “Then it was like, ‘OK, it’s going to be too much. ‘I don’t have a professional oven. I’ve got an oven, but I can’t bake on that scale.”
Even if the can’t make 300 cookies at a time, Tapp’s small gesture has gone a long way to help others during these uncertain times.
“In the grand scheme of things,” Porter said, “it might seem small but it can make you feel pretty good.”
