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HCS smashes pie-making record

Nineteen hundred apple pies flew out of the kitchen at Houston Christian School last week—a record number for the 10th annual fundraiser.
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Elma Penner and Bill George peel

They spread by word of mouth.

Nineteen hundred apple pies flew out of the kitchen at Houston Christian School last week—a record number for the 10th annual fundraiser.

"They speak for themselves," said Denise Aziz, a lead organizer of the annual pie-making.

Parents and teachers, students and grandparents all pitch in to make the "Willing Workers" pies

In the school kitchen last Tuesday, Bill George was one of the volunteers spinning Golden Delicious apples on a hand-cranked apple peeler.

George has done it before and it shows—the apples spin, peel and slice in no time, ready to pile into a pie dough that's ready to go into the oven or the freezer.

"We still have one left in our freezer from last year," Aziz said. "And they're still as good as they were the first day."

Last year, the school topped out at 1750 pies—not nearly enough.

For days afterwards, Aziz said they had phone calls from people who missed a chance to order.

For a $2 surcharge, drivers deliver the pies to local customers.

But some pick up pies from as far Prince George and even Vancouver, she said.

"They are people that have lived here in the past and know what the pies are like."

Seven dollars is also a real steal for a quality pie, Aziz added.

The pie drive typically raises about $5,000. Those funds go toward all kinds of school programs, she said, from volleyball and basketball jerseys to school computers and library books.

"It's a big production," Aziz said. "But it's totally worth it and it's fun community-building."