Here’s what it takes to bake almost 10,000 pies for MANNA’s Thanksgiving fundraiser
Over a few weekends in September, October and November, roughly 400 volunteers make enough pies to raise about $300,000 each year. For one afternoon, reporter Peak Johnson was one of them.
As a person who is rarely allowed in the kitchen, I was a bit worried when MANNA invited me out to make a few pies for its annual pie-baking-and-selling fundraiser, Pie in the Sky.
My fears were soon quelled when I learned that the chefs had prepared the batter and pie crusts ahead of time: No pies would be harmed, burnt or just plain inedible because of me.
This fundraiser started back in 1997 as a way to support the Center City-based nonprofit’s mission of preparing and delivering meals to people with life-threatening illnesses, and especially its Thanksgiving meal program. (MANNA stands for Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance.)
Over a few weekends in September, October and November, roughly 400 volunteers make about 9,500 pies to raise about $300,000 each year.
The nonprofit starts its planning for the undertaking in June, said Eric Gantz, MANNA’s director of operations. The team studies trends from years prior to better understand how many pies they’ll need to make for the upcoming fundraiser.
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Dominique “Peak” Johnson is a North Philadelphia journalist. He is one of the founding editors of the North Philly Metropolis. Currently he freelances for WHYY, Billy Penn and Citywide Stories. Click here to learn more about Peak.
