If you find yourself looking forward to the dessert arrangement following Thanksgiving dinner the most, the Social Work Club’s Pie for All will give you the chance to satisfy your sweet tooth as well those in need from Erie.
As part of a fundraiser for its 37th annual Christmas dinner, the Social Work Club will be selling pie in the Waldron Campus Center right before Thanksgiving break, Monday and Tuesday. Students can purchase it by the slice for $1 or the whole pie for $10.
The pies themselves are baked by club members, Gannon faculty and staff and the club has decided to extend the fundraiser this year for two days instead of the last day of class before Thanksgiving. This extends the window for students to help the club with their efforts in hosting their annual Christmas dinner.
Jaclyn Emery, a sophomore nursing major and vice president of the Social Work Club, said Pie for All is one of the club’s biggest fundraisers.
“It helps the Christmas dinner because it raises a lot of money and we use the money to buy food, presents, and
money and we use the money to buy food, presents and decorations,” she said. “We typically make between $400-$500, which is good. “We also get donations for raffles and presents for the kids that come because this may be the only present they get.”
Emery said the club also holds a raffle for the adults at the dinner. Club members decorate four artificial trees and give them away to four winners. Another raffle is held with a turkey prize and anything else that’s donated by supporters.
While the fundraiser is primarily run by the club, students are welcome to make donations, including baking a pie for the sale. They can also donate their time by volunteering at the Christmas dinner.
Emery said the club usually asks for help from other clubs and campus fraternities and sororities for help with cooking and serving the dinner. These volunteers also help by wrapping presents and making general donations for the dinner. She said the hardest aspect of the fundraiser and dinner is publicizing it.
“I spent at least six hours sending out over 600 emails to faculty and staff for this,” Emery said. She said that there are usually upward of 40 pies donated, which translates into about 400 pieces of pie to choose from.
Pie for All helps the Social Work Club, and lets students sample baking from the professors.
“I love how the whole Gannon community comes together and supports us in our cause,” she said.
KELSEY GHERING
