Sweet Potato Comfort Pie (SPCP) is once again bringing comfort, connection, and hope to Minnesotans in pain. On Saturday, October 25, the Golden Valley-based organization will lead a multi-site community bake to deliver nearly 300 homemade pies to families and organizations connected to Annunciation School, as well as others across the Twin Cities affected by gun violence.
The effort comes in response to the August 27 mass shooting that shook the Annunciation community. Partnering with DeLaSalle High School, Breck School, Normandale Lutheran Church, and Rush City Bakery, SPCP volunteers, students, and community members will spend the weekend mixing, baking, and delivering hundreds of sweet potato pies to show solidarity and compassion.
Each pie is more than a dessert. For founder Rose McGee, the sweet potato pie is a “sacred dessert” rooted in Black cultural tradition — a dish that nourishes both the body and the soul.
“The sweet potato pie is more than just a pretty pie,” McGee said. “It comes from a rich Black cultural tradition that I call the sacred dessert of the Black community.”
McGee’s philosophy has guided SPCP since its founding: that a simple pie, baked with love and shared freely, can serve as a tool for healing, unity, and hope.
Volunteers from all four baking sites will help prepare pies that will be delivered not only to the students and staff of Annunciation School, but also to first responders, community partners, and Twin Cities families who have faced the pain of gun violence this year.
By sharing these pies, SPCP hopes to remind Minnesotans that acts of care — large or small — can bridge divides and strengthen community bonds during times of crisis.
At the heart of this weekend’s event is a message that has guided Sweet Potato Comfort Pie from the beginning: comfort, kindness, and cultural connection can transform grief into action and pain into purpose.
To learn more or to support Sweet Potato Comfort Pie’s ongoing work, visit sweetpotatocomfortpie.org