The pies will fly this week in San Diego as volunteers with the Mama’s Kitchen organization prepare for sweet annual fundraiser that will help locals living with AIDS and cancer.

For the past 26 years, Mama’s Kitchen has prepared and delivered free, healthy meals every day to men, women and children around San Diego County affected by AIDS or cancer.

Each year around Thanksgiving, the City Heights-based organization hosts its Mama’s Pie in the Sky Bake Sale, which raises funds for Mama’s Kitchen to keep fulfilling its goals. The pies are donated by local restaurants, bakeries caterers and include pumpkin, traditional apple, Dutch apple and pecan flavors. The pies are sold for $25 a pop to San Diegans who support Mama’s Kitchen.

This year, Mama’s Kitchen hopes to raise $120,000 through the bake sale, which will help provide more than 32,000 meals to San Diegans struggling with illness. Each pie sold helps fund more than seven home-delivered meals to a person too ill to grocery shop or cook.

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“Our clients are affected by AIDS and cancer, and are vulnerable to hunger,” said Anne Garger, executive chef for Mama’s Kitchen. “If we didn't provide the meals, they are too sick or unable to shop. When you buy pie, that money goes back to us and that's money we use -- we buy food throughout the year.”

The pie preps were in full swing Tuesday as volunteers sorted thousands of pies for delivery by name, flavor and location. Some eateries donated 10 pies to the cause, others 100. This year, about 60 percent of the pies were donated by Sycuan Casino.

On Wednesday, the pies will be distributed from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. by dozens of volunteers to more than 20 Wells Fargo locations throughout the county. Those who bought the pies can pick them up later that morning at those locations – just in time to enjoy the sweet treats on Thanksgiving.

For more information about this fundraiser and how to donate to Mama’s Kitchen, click here.