Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but baking a pie and giving it away as a way to show support for the community and bring a smile to the face of someone who is hurting is definitely a step in the right direction.

Rose McGee started baking “Sweet Potato Comfort Pies” back in 2014 after the police shooting of Michael Brown. She wanted to do something to help. She told HuffPost, “Right then, the Lord spoke to me: Get up and bake some pies and take them down there.’” That’s exactly what she did. She drove 500 miles to Missouri with 30 freshly baked pies in her car.

She was met with a smile every time she gave someone a pie. Her goal of trying to comfort those who are hurting was accomplished, so she didn’t stop there. To date, more than 3,000 comfort pies have been baked and served.

According to McGee, “Sweet potato pie is the ‘sacred dessert’ of Black people, and it has power. Not only does it give us energy, this pie links us to history, it soothes our spirits and renews us for the much- needed work.”

Most recently, McGee, along with the help of volunteers, distributed pies at the makeshift memorial for George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

Every comfort pie comes with a poem called “Sweet Potato Comfort Pie Poem” which was written in 2014 by McGee’s daughter, Pastor Roslyn Harmon. 

From the community of Golden Valley, Minnesota to wherever you reside

may this sweet potato pie soothe

and warm your insides.

Take time to laugh, cry and

remember those you love,

but never forget your

strength that comes from above.

From family to community

and community to your heart

unity and peace is where

comfort and joy start.

So today be BLESSED

remember to eat, pray and love

as you partake in making a difference,

for there is much to be proud of. Enjoy!

If you would like to learn how to make your own Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, you can find McGee’s recipe here. If you would like to learn more about the comfort pie mission or donate, you can do so here.