There are so many things that make the holiday sweet, and thanks to volunteers at Holy Rosary, there will soon be roughly 1,700 more of those things.
Holy Rosary's 30th annual pie sale is just around the corner, marking a big milestone for this fundraiser, which has proven to be one of the largest for the local Catholic community.
And while the actual event is going on Nov. 15-17, the 200 volunteers making it all happen will be rolling up their sleeves before then.
"It actually starts on the Wednesday before when we start making all the dough in the big industrial kitchen at Central Market," said Mary Ann Nelmark, who is helping to chair the event.
Volunteers will be mixing up 37 five-gallon buckets of dough for the crusts of the apple and pumpkin pies they will then begin assembling the next day for pickup.
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That's when Holy Rosary will be filled with both adult and student volunteers who will be taking shifts from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. to peel 52 bushels of apples, bake and box everything up.
"Some of the older, more experienced parishioners who really know what they're doing will be baking," said Nelmark, who says the pumpkin pies will be baked and ready to eat, while the apple pies will be assembled and then frozen. That way pie buyers can take them out of the freezer and pop them in the oven at their convenience.
Each pie is $8, which can be purchased ahead of time by calling and putting in an order. Nelmark says they want all orders in by Nov. 13 so they know approximately how many pies to make.
"If somebody doesn't call by that date, they can still call and put in an order, but they'll be put on a waiting list, and then if there are extra pies come Saturday, they'll go to those on the list," said Nelmark.
Meanwhile, Holy Rosary is still looking for volunteers to help with the sale, and is hoping even non-Catholics will step up and join in.
"It's so much fun," said Nelmark. "It's just a great way to kind of kick off the holidays; I know the elderly people really like to come and help and visit, but there's no experience necessary -- we'll find a job for you."
The group is also looking for donations to help make the pies.
"We need 120 cans of Crisco, so we're still hoping to get some of those," said Nelmark.
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Catholic United Financial is matching funds raised up to $1,000, all of which will then be put into Holy Rosary's general fund.
For more information or to order pies, call 846-0202.
JUMP pies
Folks with Jamaican United Mission Partnership, or JUMP will also be making 950 apple pies soon for their annual Thanksgiving pie sale.
Supporters of JUMP, will begin making apple pies, which will be frozen and ready to bake, on Nov. 16 and 17. They'll then be ready for pick up at the church on Wednesday, Nov. 21, between the hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The cost is $8 per pie.
This is the group's major fundraiser to support the mission teams that travel to help schools in Jamaica.
Volunteers for this pie sale also encourage people to buy a pie for the Becker County Food Pantry, which JUMP will deliver. This is a great way to help two organizations with one donation.
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To order pies or to find out more on the sale, call JoAnn at 701-219-4679 or e-mail her at stquam@gmail.com or call Sherry at 218-849-2361 or e-mail her at sthom1955.st@gmail.com .
