If you got a Thanksgiving pie from the Niagara Lions Club, you got a little bit of love from across the community.

The fruit was donated by farmers, the sugar was donated by club members, the flour was donated by a local grocery store, and the shortening and eggs were donated by a local diner.

All together, Lions club members baked 160 pies to help raise money for youth sports in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“It was a real community effort,” said Lions club volunteer Dorothy Wiens.

Lions club members spent a full day baking last week.

“We started at eight in the morning, by the time I got home it was 5:30 p.m.,” said Wiens.

The fundraiser was new this year because COVID cancelled other planned events.

“We just thought, you know, with COVID, we've got to think up new ideas. And so, it's been a real community effort to get this going.”

The club supports minor sports every year, but this year the pandemic has made raising money a challenge, said Lions Club member Erna Dick.

“Usually we have other fundraisers, we have a car reality the first weekend in August all the time and we have masses of people coming out to the car rally at the fire hall. And that's a good fundraiser, too, but this has been a very poor year for us,” she said.

Part of the problem was the group couldn't meet in-person to plan the fundraising events.

“It's been a tough year,” she said, adding the group is still hoping to be able to do its popular Christmas tree sale, normally held in the parking lot of Cornerstone Church in Virgil.

The pie fundraiser luckily went well, Wiens said.

“It's been really great, the community has been wonderful,” she said.

“We had a mom come by and buy two pies because she said her son plays minor hockey, and we support minor sports, so she wanted to come and support us.”

Wiens also got a call from NOTL resident Joe Pillitteri Friday morning ordering 20 pies.