Help the Hungry Bake Sale
Bake sale sounds so mundane. It conjures up images of a couple of wobbly card tables with a few loaves of homemade bread, a plate of cookies, and a cake or pie or a combination of the two. Well, forget that–this is not that type of bake sale, this is an event!!!
November 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the St. Joe gymnasium in Farmington, an annual community event to help area food banks, is taking place. This is the 19th annual Help the Hungry Bakesale, an event that has raised $1.2 million for the St. Vincent De Paul and the Ministerial Alliance food banks, our local food banks. Since its inception, the “bake sale” has grown into one of the most anticipated and yet best kept secrets in the area.
Of course, there will be baked goods. A minimum of 100 pies will line a wall of the gym, but if your quest is to find pie nirvana, you had better get in line. According to the event’s founder, Chris Landrum, “The pies are gone in 15 minutes!”
She also commented, last year, on the effect the event has, “I feel like it has benefited our community and been rewarded by the success of the bake sale. People love that businesses, churches, social organizations, civic organizations, schools, and individuals all come together for this united cause. It’s a good feeling to know that you can be a part of something like that.”
The doors to the gym open at 9 a.m., but there is a breakfast at 8:00 in the St. Joe cafeteria. Those not having breakfast often line up in advance for the gym doors to open, eagerly anticipating the culinary delights awaiting inside. But if delicious food is not your priority, there’s much more!!
At 10 a.m., an auction, hosted by area personality Mark Toti, will be awarding the highest bidders anything from Cardinal tickets to Botox, to beef, and all matter of items in between. And while this is happening, there is a silent auction, and a holiday raffle taking place. But the coup de grace is still on the way.
One of the most anticipated events, in this festive community effort, is the Cooking Clergy Contest. Pastors from various area congregations bake cakes that compete for a variety of awards. Among these accolades are the People’s Choice Award, Best Tasting Award, and Best Appearance Award. Cakes are auctioned, with all proceeds going to the food banks. Last year, $60,000 was raised on the cake auction alone.
A raffle booth for centerpieces, and a kid’s corner where they decorate cookies while the parents can browse the proceedings, are among the simultaneous activities found in the St. Joe gym this Saturday.
It is a veritable beehive of activity, all of which benefit those in our community who are facing difficulties and need assistance. This is a community activity that rolls the sentiments of thankfulness and helping others into one event. You owe it to yourself to visit the Help the Hungry Bake Sale, this Saturday, and experience, firsthand, the feeling of satisfaction of knowing that your purchase will go to help alleviate the pain of those in this community, whose needs are greater than their ability to manage. This is your helping hand.
