Last year the pies sold out in two and a half minutes. This year, one of L.A.’s most popular fundraisers is back with a new format that means more sweets for sale—which means more opportunity to raise money for Black lives, nutrition and social justice.
This Juneteenth, the popular event Pies for Justice is returning, and this time supporters will be able to preorder select pies, enter pie raffles and continue to snag baked goods with 100% of the proceeds benefiting local organizations that help feed and protect the BIPOC community.
“Last year was the hottest pie sale in town, or that we’ve ever seen or been a part of,” says Stephanie Chen, a Gather for Good cofounder and the baker-owner of Sugarbear Bakes. “We saw so much energy, we saw the community—not just restaurants, but L.A.—come together because it was a really important moment in time. This year a lot has changed, but also a lot hasn’t changed in terms of racial injustice and how Black men and women are treated, so we felt it was just as important.”
Pies for Justice was founded in spring of 2020 by Chen and her Gather for Good partner, Sherry Mandell, who is also a farmer and owner behind the Tehachapi Heritage Grain Project. Global calls for a reckoning of police brutality, unjust incarceration and inequality spurred the fundraiser, which is coordinated by Gather for Good: Chen and Mandell’s community-focused organization, which helps business owners and residents band together for events and causes. The bake sale offered pies, cookies and other sweets from roughly 60 chefs and restaurants across L.A. County, with items available on a first come, first served basis. On June 19, 2020, items disappeared almost instantly, though those hoping to purchase a pie were able to donate. The virtual event raised more than $26,000 for the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter and the Gathering for Justice.
This June 19, 100% of the proceeds will be split between the L.A. chapter of Black Lives Matter and SÜPRMARKT, a low-cost pop-up grocery store that brings fresh, organic produce to underserved communities in South L.A.
In the second iteration, Pies for Justice supporters will be able to place orders directly through the participating bakers, with ordering and item information soon available on the Pies for Justice website. Some businesses will be taking preorders—which might help avoid last year’s quick sell out—and because the ordering is now occurring directly through the bakers, the radius of participants is expanding; Uprising OC and other Orange County businesses are already signing on to sell for a cause.
Chen says they’re adding new participants every day, and the roster is already filled with some of the area’s top baking talent, whether it be stalwart restaurants, new underground operators or award-winning pastry chefs. Look for baked goods from Ototo’s Gemma Matsuyama; AOC’s Shannon Swindle; House of Gluten and Quarter Sheets’s Hannah Ziskin and Aaron Lindell; Milo & Olive’s Kelsey Brito; Valerie Confections’ Valerie Gordon; Post & Beam’s John Cleveland and Martin Draluck; IsaMADE’s Isa Fabro and more.
Pairing the joy of desserts with the elation of Juneteenth is no accident. June 19—an American holiday also known as “Juneteenth,” “Freedom Day” and “Jubilee Day”—marks the anniversary of the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, one of the last states to free its slaves.
“It’s a lovely holiday for everyone to learn about and be celebratory,” says Mandell. “This is not a holiday to beat people over the head like, ‘You’ve gotta fight for justice’—we do want to do that, but we want to do that through a joyful avenue: showing people that there are ways of creating justice by learning about and appreciating other cultures and history, and coming together. It’s a great way of doing it: collectively, over pie.”
Pies for Justice takes place Saturday, June 19. Follow @andgatherforgood on Instagram for bake sale updates and news; find an updated list of participants, and instructions on how to place orders, via andgatherforgood.com/piesforjustice.