Whitinsville Christian School’s Dutch apple pies are a holiday tradition for many, including the tradition of giving them away. The WCS Dutch Apple Pie sale has provided thousands of pies to area food banks and first responders over the last few years through the “Paying it Forward with Pies” program.
“When we made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s Dutch Apple Pie sale,” said Erika Johnson, WCS Trustee and Pie Committee Chairperson, “we knew we needed to find a way to honor the tradition of ‘Paying it Forward’ and find an opportunity to give back to our community.”
That opportunity presented itself at Giving Day, a fundraising event for the WCS Fund. “While Giving Day represents a time to raise funds for WCS, we knew it was important to honor the ‘Giving’ of Giving Day and the spirit of ‘Paying it Forward.’ Our team agreed that a wonderful way of doing this would be to donate 10% of all Giving Day donations to the Northbridge Association of Churches Food Pantry and the Worcester County Food Bank,” said Rick Lukianuk, Head of School. “The NAC Food Pantry serves our closest neighbors while the Worcester County Food Bank partners with more than 100 area food banks. WCS’s support of these two organizations represents our families who live in more than 38 communities.” A donation to the Worcester County Food Bank of $5,717 will be made before the Christmas holiday.
From left, Rick Lukianuk and Erika Johnson presented a check for $5,717 to James Blair and Julie Gillis of the NAC Food Pantry.
The WCS Giving Day event, held on November 20 and 21, raised more than $114,000. “We are grateful to all of our donors for their support of WCS and gifts for these food pantries,” said Lukianuk. “We would also like to thank Milford Federal Bank, our major sponsor for the Dutch Apple Pie Sale. Despite not being able to sponsor this year’s pie sale, they made an extremely generous gift to Giving Day, demonstrating Milford Federal’s commitment to the residents of our local communities.”
On Thursday, December 10, Erika Johnson and Rick Lukianuk presented a check for $5,717 to James Blair and Julie Gillis of the NAC Food Pantry. “This has been a particularly trying year for so many, and we at the Northbridge Association of Churches Food Pantry are extraordinarily grateful and humbled by the donations we receive,” said Gillis. “Whitinsville Christian School presented us with an incredibly generous donation that will allow us to ensure that all our friends, family, and neighbors have food on the table this holiday season.”