MIRAMAR (KGTV) — Just days before Thanksgiving, volunteers at Mama's Kitchen are sorting, packaging, and loading pies for distribution on Wednesday.
On Monday, Mama's Kitchen transformed 'Behind the Scenes Catering and Events' in Miramar into "Pie Central," where volunteers packed about 3,000 pies.
The holiday pies are lifelines for San Diegans battling critical illnesses. The nonprofit transforms each $35 pie purchase into approximately 12 medically tailored meals for people in need.
Eva Matthews, CEO of Mama's Kitchen, said every year, Mama's Kitchen provides 900,000 medically tailored meals to individuals living with cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, HIV and other critical conditions.
"In this time when there is so much nutritional insecurity, we know that we need to be here for those individuals," Matthews said.
Volunteers like Don Armento have been essential to the operation's success.
Armento has dedicated 2.5 years to the cause, going from working in the kitchen to helping with deliveries and now carefully packing pies for Thanksgiving.
"It really touched me how many people are in need and kind of maybe have gotten left behind by our culture or by society," Armento said. "We're serving the community and serving humanity, and that's what I'm all about."
The pies came from bakeries across the county. The packed boxes will head to pickup sites later this week for buyers to collect their holiday orders.
Matthew's said that Mama's Kitchen is currently $5,000 short of this year's goal of $165,000. Matthews said those dollars will be converted to provide 57,000 meals.
The organization still has a couple of hundred pies available for purchase at any of its five locations across the county. There will be about 25 pies available for purchase at each location.
They're no longer accepting online orders. Matthews said donations are also welcome as well to hopefully meet that remaining $5000 goal.
The five pick-up sites are in Carlsbad, Encinitas, Kearny Mesa, La Mesa, and North Park. Specific addresses can be found at https://mamaspies.org/pickup-locations/ [mamaspies.org].
