Apple season means fresh apple pies.
When it comes to making delectable apple pies, the volunteers at Trinity United Church in North Bay do everything from start to finish.
“We go down to an orchard in Collingwood and we pick the apples. We picked 67 bushels. We brought them home and we washed them all and then Monday morning we started peeling the apples and assembling the pies,” explained the self-described pie lady, Darlene Laferriere.
“Our busiest year we did close to 14 hundred pies but that was just way too many. We had a hard time keeping up, so we’ve tried to reduce those numbers.”
This year the volunteers sold out at 1,050 pies, ready for the oven or freezer for whenever you want a homemade apple pie..
“We always make them the week before Thanksgiving. We do the regular apple pies, and we do make Splenda pies.”
This popular fundraising project began two decades ago.
See: Apple Pie Project at Trinity United Church built by volunteers
“They started off quite small, they only made one hundred or two hundred pipes, and we’ve been steadily increasing every year.”
Prep work begins a month in advance.
“We got together last month in early September, and we made all the pie bottoms. And we also have what we call the spice girls, putting together the spice bags, which is the sugar and cinnamon and flour,” laughed Laferriere.
“So, once we’re here peeling the apples, they mix in the spices, put them in the pie plates, and then we roll out the tops.”
The completed pies are placed in sealed bags, and they’re out the door.
There is always a steady stream of satisfied customers who, over four days, pick up their pies, freshly assembled for same-day pick up.
“This is a major fundraiser for the church. We make between $13 and $15,000,” stated Laferriere.
“The money goes into the church’s general funds. You’ll see on the apple pies this year, we’ve put a sticker that shows how we share the love from Trinity. So, by making the pies, we’re sharing the love among our whole community,” stated Laferriere.
“We have a food bank that runs here every week, and we have an infant food bank where young families can come in and get things they need for their babies and toddlers. We have a lot of outreach programs working with youth. We have a theatre program called Mustard Seed for kids to put on plays, and we have music programs. We also put in a team for the Coldest Night Walk. So many community initiatives that when we started making a list there were dozens of things people were involved in. So, it really helps us do all of our community outreach programs.”
Many hands make light work.
It takes a team of volunteers to get the job done.
“One day we had 58 volunteers. We need as much help as we can get,” explained Laferriere.
“And some people help out who don’t even attend our church. They just love the fun and the fellowship associated with it. You can hear all the laughter in the kitchen. People who can’t necessarily stand, can sit at the table and work the peeling machines and get those apples into the bowls for us to cut up.”
When the last pie goes out the door, volunteers are left exhausted, but satisfied.
“It is the laughter, it is the fellowship, it is the fun. It is the stories that we tell. We get to know each other, and it is inter-generational. So, we’ve got some people who are in their 80s still coming out to help make pies, and we’re recruiting some of the younger folk. The other night we had some young kids here who came with their parents, and they loved peeling those apples and they had lots of fun.”
It is too late to order for this year but mark your calendar to remind yourself to call the parish office in September to be guaranteed a pie.
