Held in the kitchen of St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Friday, Nov. 16, the event included the peeling of seven bushels of red and green apples to be used in many of the 200 pies slated for delivery to local charities and community agencies.
Operating the hand-cranked apple peeling machines were Chati Lum Zony, a senior biochemistry major from Newark, Del., and Zach Mellinger, a senior chemical engineering major from Lancaster, Pa.
“We try to mix up the red and green apples to give the pies more of a variety,” Mellinger said. “I like volunteering for this and learning how to make pies.”
While the apples were being peeled, nearly two dozen volunteer were mixing ingredients that included 200 pounds of flour, 68 pounds of sugar, six cups of sugar-free sweetener, 20 pounds of shortening, as well as 100 cans of pumpkin, 75 cans of cherry pie filling, 80 large cans of evaporated milk and a bottle of lemon juice.
Spicing up the cherry, apple and pumpkin pies were six cups of cinnamon, a box of salt, and a cup each of ground cloves, allspice, nutmeg and ginger.
Added to the above ingredients were 50 pounds of butter, 25 dozen eggs, a gallon of milk, two gallons of cider and 200 each of pie plates and pie boxes.
“We start by melting butter, adding apples, lemon juice and apple cider and putting in pie filling, sugar, flower and cinnamon,” Erik Sutherland, a senior computer science major from Laurel, Del., said. “We also make sugar-free pies for diabetics, but the best ingredient of all is good old McNair love.”
Matt Stieglitz, a communications major from Wayne, N.J., said that he enjoyed being involved a community service project like Piepalooza.
“Each year they have this a pie-baking effort, and I come here to help,” Stieglitz said. “It's all about helping others and having fun.”
As the pies cool, they are wheeled out to the packing area, where a table of McNair volunteers were folding boxes for the pies that would be delivered to agencies such as Meals on Wheels-Newark Senior Center, as well as several Wilmington-based charities, including Emmanuel Dining Room, House of Joseph, Mary Mother of Hope Houses I, II and III, St. Patrick's Center, and Friendship House/Andrew's Place. Other locations include Meeting Ground, Elkton, Md.; Food Bank of Delaware, Newark; and Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington.
“All of the McNair scholars get together, and each person does their own part,” Amanda Strickland, a senior English major from Dover, said. “I think it's great to be involved doing a service and also having fun.”
Donors include Acme Markets, Wawa, Super G, Pathmark, BJ's Wholesale Club, Safeway Stores, U.S. Foods and Wal-Mart, Maria Palacas, program director in the Office of Undergraduate Studies, said.
“It's a cooperative event between the community and local suppliers, which has continued to grow each year,” Palacas said. “It's meaningful for both the students and the individuals who will receive the pies. Piepalooza is a well-oiled machine, and it is indeed the sprit of McNair love that makes the whole thing work.”
The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program honors the African-American astronaut who died in the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986. The University Undergraduate Scholars Program helps students from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds get into graduate programs of their choice and obtain funding and is modeled on the McNair program.
Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Sarah Simon