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Hood River News Editorial
October 11, 2006
The pie is definitely not in the sky in Hood River County.
Not in autumn, not in this fruit-filled valley.
Talented bakers, or people who have never baked so much as a biscuit,
can enjoy the benefits of our fruit bounty, gain some great company,
and do a real service, in two events starting Saturday.
First, it is not too late to plan a pie or other fruit dessert for the
“Eat Dessert First” competition, which starts at 10 a.m. Saturday. The
event, in its fifth year, has burgeoned into one of the larger
community events of the fall season. Bakers line up their pies, with
added trimmings, for groups of volunteer judges to sample and compare.
Winners in three categories — pear, apple and mixed fruit dessert —
each take home $1,000 prizes. The $10 entry fees, and subsequent sale
of pie slices, go to Helping Hands Against Violence, the program that
provides a shelter and many other important services for abused women
and their children.
*****
Then there is the big day for pies at Hood River Valley Adult Center,
when volunteers gather to prepare and bake nearly 1,000 pies that are
then sold at the Oct. 20-22 Hood River Valley Harvest Festival. If you
can help roll or cut dough, mix ingredients, pour filling, and do any
number of other enjoyable tasks, call up the Adult Center and sign up.
You’ll get to take home a pie for your efforts.
The pie making day, which starts in the morning and lasts until the
last pie is baked, is an event that also benefits a needed community
service: the nutrition program for seniors. Harvest Fest pie sale
proceeds go to the Hood River Meals on Wheels and other nutrition
services coordinated by the Adult Center. The sales come at a time
when more seniors need the services, and funding is gradually harder
to find, and food costs just keep going up.
Turn to page A3 for details on both events. For seniors, and for
Helping Hands clients, they are not just about dessert. They are
staples in the programs’ funding menus. |
