Pie in the Sky program provides meals for families battling life-threatening illnesses
Boston-based Grand Circle associates celebrated the holiday season by participating in the annual Pie in the Sky fundraiser to raise money and support for Community Servings, which provides free, home-delivered meals to more than 700 critically ill individuals and their families living in Eastern Massachusetts.
For 20 years, Community Servings has delivered specially prepared meals to clients struggling with life-threatening illnesses, including HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, and MS. According to their mission, “Our goals are to help our clients maintain their health and dignity, preserve the integrity of their families, provide nutritionally and culturally appropriate meals, and send the message that someone cares.”
Their clients might have trouble shopping or cooking for themselves, so these meals not only provide necessary nutrition for the individual and his or her family, but also the knowledge that someone is there with a smile and some love to help them during this difficult time in their lives.
Since 1993, Grand Circle Foundation has supported Community Servings, including the Pie in the Sky fundraiser (also known as the Biggest Bake Sale in the World). Local restaurants, bakeries, caterers, and hotels around Boston bake and donate thousands of pumpkin, apple, pecan, and sweet potato pies to area volunteers. These volunteers— including Grand Circle—represent individuals, businesses, churches, schools, and clubs throughout the Boston area. The pies are then sold to their friends, families, neighbors, and coworkers.
Each pie costs $25—which pays for a week’s worth of home-delivered meals for each Community Servings client. Last year, Pie in the Sky raised $380,000 for these meals.
Lauren Fabrizio, People and Culture Coordinator, explains why Pie in the Sky is so important to Grand Circle: “This is our culture—giving back to the world in which we travel. It is who and what we are.”
According to Lauren, Grand Circle sold 227 pies this year and $6,920 was sent to Community Servings—from that, 47 pies were donated to Community Servings clients, $1,250 was collected as donations, and 180 pies went to associates.
To find out more about Community Servings and their mission, watch the video below.
To learn more about Community Servings or the Pie in the Sky program, visit their websites.