Hands-On for Mental Health: A Pie Tale

Here Come the Pies!

After our congregation decided that we wanted to raise funds for our local NAMI, we knew it should involve food! Because we live in apple country and the time was just right, we opted for baking, freezing, and selling apple pies plus a few seasonal pumpkin pies. The congregation came together during three sessions of the baker’s version of Henry Ford’s assembly line—I peel, you cut, he mixes, she rolls, someone bags the finished apple pies for the freezer and everyone sits down at the end to enjoy the few apple pies that were baked especially for “testing.”

Along with raising awareness and funds, we wanted to build bonds in our congregation through service. We cut apples as we traded life stories. We rolled crust as we learned how someone’s mother had rolled hers. We taught those who didn’t know what spices to use. We affirmed that volunteering together is a great way of being together and an excellent way of maintaining mental health.

Thank You

Our recently renovated church basement was the perfect place for the pie sale. It was a pleasure to share it with our pie-loving customers who either took home their frozen apple pies—to be baked at their own convenience—or sit at our café tables enjoying coffee or cider and generous slabs of on-site baked pumpkin pie. Baking instructions and information about NAMI were handed out to every customer.

What a thrill it was to send a check for $1,000 to NAMI Finger Lakes to benefit its Family-to-Family program!

Brigitt Schaffner, NAMI Finger Lakes President said: “Events like this mean a lot to our volunteers. It is heartening to be recognized for our contributions to the community. And it’s a great reminder for our Family-to-Family facilitators to see just how important this program is and how long-lasting its effects.”