Share Our Strength, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit working to end child hunger in America by 2015, announces its Great American Bake Sale National Challenge Weekend, May 13-15.

The event rallies individuals and groups to host bake sales in their communities, raising funds to help the nearly one in four children in America who face hunger.

Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale is presented by Domino Sugar, C&H Sugar, and Duncan Hines, and is supported by Chicago Metallic, official bake ware partner, Food Network, national television partner, Family Circle, national print partner, and Solo, an official baking ingredient partner.

In support of Challenge Weekend, Food Network personality and pastry chef Anne Thornton is hosting a Chicagoland bake sale at Old Orchard Mall in Skokie, Illinois, on May 15 from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. Thornton, host of Food Network’s Dessert First With Anne Thornton, will emcee the Chicago event, as well as share baking tips during the day. A variety of Chicago-area bakeries and pastry chefs will donate baked goods, and all proceeds will be donated to Share Our Strength.

Food bloggers nationwide are banding together in support of Challenge Weekend with the second annual National Food Blogger Bake Sale, May 14. Organized by San Franciscan Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking, the challenge unites bloggers from across the country for the common goal of ending child hunger by holding bake sales in their respective states. To-date, bloggers from more than 23 states are slated to participate.

Sponsor Duncan Hines is also sweetening the Bake Sale effort with a Million Dollar Cupcake Challenge. The company’s goal, working with bakers across the country, is to bake and sell one million cupcakes in 2011, with all proceeds benefiting Share Our Strength. Individuals sign up via www.greatamericanbakesale.org and “join” the Duncan Hines team. Each week, Duncan Hines will match funds raised by the top sales and one lucky participant will have the opportunity to win an all-expense paid trip to the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Since its inception in 2003, more than 1.7 million people have participated in the Great American Bake Sale, raising more than $6 million to help end child hunger in this country. Individuals, schools, church groups and civic organizations support this grassroots effort each year.

“A bake sale is a great way for friends, family and coworkers to support Share Our Strength while having fun at the same time,” says Amy Crowell, director for the Great American Bake Sale. “And it’s a way everyone can help, any time of year, whether they’re hosting a bake sale, baking or donating items to one, or buying the delicious items. It’s all helping ensure that no child goes hungry in America. Working together, we can make a critical difference in the lives of others, one sale at a time.”

Share Our Strength’s highest priority is to make sure that every child in America gets the nutritious food he or she needs to learn, grow and thrive. To accomplish this goal, the organization works to build awareness of the issue; create public-private partnerships at the state and city levels; educate children and families about nutritious, affordable eating; and invests in communities with grants to organizations whose work helps to connect kids to food they need, or educates families about programs that can help them.

Share Our Strength gauges the success of its efforts by monitoring participation in effective, existing programs that provide nutritious food to children at home, during school, and during the summer and over weekends when school isn’t in session. Overall, in 2010, Share Our Strength raised more than $24 million through all of its fundraising platforms.