The smell of homemade hot apple pies once again permeates the hallways of Sandpoint (Idaho) Junior Academy. Several pies are baked and topped with ice cream as just one of the great benefits of being part of the volunteers creating apple pies.
More than a ton of Golden Delicious apples have been peeled, cored, and sliced. Spices and sweetener have been added, and 1,246 crusts have been rolled and edges crimped to seal in the flavors. A total of 673 pies have been wrapped, boxed and ready for the freezer.
Students had pre-sold 511 pies before they were made on Nov. 13, 2011, and the remaining 162 pies were sold within a week. Over the years, the community has learned they must place their orders early to obtain their pies for the holidays.
To make this happen, countless volunteers worked anywhere from a few hours to a full day, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. At different times, anywhere from 60 to 80 men, women and children of all ages worked together, enjoying fun and fellowship and watching the boxed pies stack up.
The total number of pies has increased year after year. The $11 price per pie makes it affordable for many people in Sandpoint to enjoy the fruit of the labor of all involved.
Ten years ago the Wheeler family brought the pie fundraising idea with them when they moved from Fall River Mills, Calif. The church school there had a successful pie program, and they figured it would work well in Sandpoint. The proceeds from the pie sale fund the ski program for every student, which includes equipment rental, a day pass and a ski lesson one day a week for six weeks at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.
As the students see the snow falling, they are looking forward to another great year on the slopes — some learning for the first time, while others gain new skills. With the 10th year completed, the students, staff, and parents are thankful to all who had a part in preparing, assembling, and purchasing the pies and making it another great, successful year.
Volunteers of all ages create an assembly line for making and baking pies. (Terry Loss)
Lynda Bailey, church member (left), Charla Suppe, Sandpoint Junior Academy principal (second from right), and others prepare pie dough. (Terry Loss)
