Scott and Kaley Petersen.Credit : Kaley Petersen (2)

NEED TO KNOW

After her dad’s sudden death, Kaley Petersen needs $30,000 to save his house from foreclosure in September
The 23-year-old mom from Arizona has started selling homemade baked goods in local parking lots to raise the funds
Petersen tells PEOPLE the home is “the last piece I feel like I have of my dad”

Growing up, Kaley Petersen’s dad was her biggest cheerleader.

After her parents separated when she was 3 years old, Petersen tells PEOPLE, her dad became her primary caregiver. He’d built forts with her as a kid. When she found out she was pregnant at 18, he was the first person she called, letting her move into his house as she raised her son. And as a grandpa, he’d lovingly spoil his three grandchildren.

“My dad was always there for me,” says Petersen, 23. “So when I lost him, it was like I lost more than a dad. I lost my best friend. I lost the only support I really have.”

Petersen’s dad died unexpectedly on Dec. 17 from diabetic ketoacidosis, complications stemming from his diabetes that went untreated because he couldn’t afford health insurance. In addition to losing her support system, she also learned that her dad was in over $200,000 in debt. And on Sept. 3, says Petersen, if she hasn’t paid her dad’s missed mortgage payments and lawyer fees — totally roughly $30,000 — she’ll face foreclosure on her childhood home.

“That’s the home I took my first steps in. That’s the home I grew up in. I took my firstborn there. It’s where he took his last breath,” says Petersen. “It’s the last piece I feel like I have of my dad.”

Scott and Kaley Petersen.Kaley Petersen

The treasured home is also where Petersen developed her love of baking.

Her dad would work long hours when she was growing up, sometimes leaving the house at 5 a.m. and not getting home until after 11 p.m. The house had no TV or internet because of its remote location, says Petersen, so “there was nothing to do” — except play around in the kitchen.

“I would bake — I would experiment,” she remembers from that time. “I realized, ‘Oh, it’s like a science, and I’m actually pretty good at it.’ ”

And her dad was always the first person to taste her baked treats, giving honest feedback when her new recipes needed to be tweaked or hit the spot, helping create a “special bond” between them.

Says Petersen: “When he passed away, I needed to make money to save his house — and so I went to the end of the street and started a little bake sale.”

Woojis Bakery was born.

Kaley Petersen.Kaley Petersen

The unconventional name is a tribute to her dad: “He was so weird, and he would give nicknames for everything,” she says with a laugh. “The one unique name he always called me was Wooji.”

Petersen fashioned a small horse trailer, which she adorned with a painted surfboard that reads “WOOJIS,” into a traveling bakeshop. She’ll find a parking lot, and she’ll sell her pastries to local customers, getting a little bit closer to that $30,000 goal one sale at a time.

Petersen says she has a whole host of recipes she cycles between — apple cinnamon swirls, crumble loaves, banana bread, mini chocolate chip cookies — but she’s “famous” for her lemon blueberry bread topped with a lemon glaze: “It literally sells out in minutes.”

On May 26, her first day selling baked goods to save her dad’s home, Petersen uploaded a video of her bakery to a new TikTok page in the hopes of reaching a broader customer base. Thousands flocked to her account — sharing their support for her cause in the comments and asking where she would be stationed next. Soon, she was selling out and was featured on a local news station.

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“Everyone’s been very encouraging — even people who say they can’t help financially,” says Petersen.

Kaley Petersen at Woojis Bakery.Kaley Petersen

One woman donated Petersen some lights for her trailer that were sitting in her garage, and another brought Petersen a stand mixer that her sister shipped from South Carolina after coming across Petersen’s page.

“My dad was really my only supporter,” Petersen says, adding that most of her family is no longer in her life. “I’ve been feeling very lonely. But I really appreciate the dads that comment and say, ‘I’m a dad and I’m proud of you.’ It feels good because that’s something my dad would say, and I’m not hearing it from him.”

In addition to selling baked goods, Petersen has started a GoFundMe to help raise the initial $30,000 she needs to save her dad’s home, which has already received over $13,000 in donations.

If she does manage to save the house, she’ll still have to keep up with $2,000 monthly mortgage payments, but Petersen says it’s worth it to keep the house. And someday, once she has to fix it up and ensure it’s suitable for young kids, she would like to move in with her family.

Kaley Petersen with her dad Scott.Kaley Petersen

“My dad’s house was always the one I’d come home to,” says Peterson. “I just want to make sure I keep this home forever and grow my whole family there for generations to come.”