2018 Pies on Parade photo gallery

Volunteers slice the pies, feed the people

Sun, 01/28/2018 - 7:15pm

    ROCKLAND – Sharon Marriner said that tears came to her eyes when she saw the empty shelves at the AIO Food Pantry recently. Some area residents have been hit especially hard this year, she said, forcing many to prioritize their basic necessities.

    However, thanks to a reprieve in the winter temperatures, along with efforts by the community, foods may again fill the shelves and feed the neighbors.

    Businesses opened their doors Sunday, January 28 for the 14th annual Pies on Parade event that donates all proceeds to AIO. Bakers used their own ingredients. Volunteers offered their time from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and food lovers pulled from their wallets for a good cause.

    In return, Rockland’s downtown swelled with hundreds of visitors enjoying 40-degree temperatures, stepping into stores and inns they may never have entered, and trialing recipes they never may have thought.

    Rockland, Maine, dubbed "Pie Town USA" by the Food Network, as the Historic Inns of Rockland were joined by as many as 25 additional Rockland and Camden businesses and restaurants to welcome hungry pie eaters to the town for the 14th Annual Pies on Parade Pie Tour. Hungry pie lovers sampled more than 50 different pies at 20 or more businesses, restaurants and inns throughout Rockland.

    In 2017, innkeepers, restaurant owner and business members who participated in the 13th Annual Pies on Parade Pie Tour presented a check to the Area Interfaith Outreach (AIO) Food Pantry and Fuel Assistance Program for $25,768 representing all ticket sales, silent auction and raffle proceeds, and cash donations from the annual pie tour. This takes the total donations for AIO’s food and fuel assistance programs to more than $160,052 from the Pies on Parade’s 13-year tenure.

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    Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com