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For cancer patient Elizabeth Cappel of East Brunswick, what started as an affinity for the Food Network while she was bedridden is now a way to aid victims of the devastating recent earthquake in Haiti.

Since June, Cappel has run Just Because Bakery out of Temple B'nai Shalom in East Brunswick, baking goods for the synagogue in addition to taking custom orders. Cappel, who has Stage IV advanced breast cancer and has fought the disease for seven years, opened a test kitchen a year-and-a-half ago when she felt well enough to work again, and when friends gave her rave reviews on her products at parties, she decided to partner with B'nai Shalom.

After her bakery previously raised money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and kidney disease research, Cappel is now donating $5 from each order, regardless of order size, to relief efforts for the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12. Cappel said her four kids serve as inspiration for her latest charitable efforts.

"I chose this mostly because of the children," Cappel, 48, said. "If I could take every one of those kids who need a home [in Haiti], I would."

Cappel said she called the bakery Just Because "just because I like to bake," but as she continues to undergo chemotherapy, her craft also serves a deeper purpose.

"I think that after you've been through things like this, you really want to do something important to you, beneficial to you, and something that you really love," Cappel said.

In exchange for giving B'nai Shalom a discounted rate on baked goods for its Shabbat onegs and bar and bat mitzvah celebrations, Cappel gets to use the synagogue's space for free. She bakes dairy, pareve, and eggless cakes (for the Indian community's Vegan preferences), in addition to cupcakes and cookies.

Cappel's red velvet-flavored cupcakes were featured on the Z100 radio station's Z Morning Zoo program, during which hosts Elvis Duran and Greg T (an East Brunswick native) called them the best cupcakes they ever tasted. Her chocolate chip cookies are also popular, she said.

For at least two months, Cappel said she will focus on Haiti before going back to donations toward the Komen foundation. Exactly how long her efforts for Haiti last will depend on what kind of relief is needed there, she said.

"It's really open-ended," Cappel said.

Cappel said she bakes "whenever I am perfectly up to it," which is usually several times a week. She said she undergoes chemotherapy "on and off," and while she continues to fight cancer, Just Because is her primary activity outside of home.

"[My kids are] my work, and the bakery is now also my work," Cappel said.

For more information on Just Because Bakery, visit www.justbecausebakery.com, or contact Cappel at justbecausellc@aol.com or (732) 991-7354.