Back Door gives back

The popular doughnut shop donated 150 pies to the Island Food Pantry ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

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While known for its doughnuts and apple fritters, it turns out Back Door Donuts is pretty darn good at making pies too.

Wanting to give back to the Island community, Back Door Donuts donated 150 Thanksgiving pies to the Island Food Pantry for families across the Island.

Speaking to The Times by phone while peeling apples, Back Door assistant manager Darya Shelby said the idea to donate pies came partly through a conversation with her landlord, who is a volunteer at the food pantry. 

“You start thinking about all the hunger, and start crying and want to donate to everybody,” Shelby said.

Back Door donated all the Thanksgiving pie favorites: apple, cherry, blueberry, and, of course, pumpkin. Since Back Door was handing off the pies to the food pantry, each box was labeled with all the ingredients put into the pies, so those receiving them would know exactly what they were getting.

“We wanted to put a little soul into it, and just be able to give something that was made all from scratch,” Shelby said. “We made all the dough, all the fillings … the pies were a more traditional way to go, and we did it with different options and different varieties. I wanted to be cautious to people about what we were giving out.”

In an email to The Times, general manager Tyler Heineman wrote how Back Door Donuts wanted to give back to the community that has supported the business for so many years.

“Back Door Donuts has been a part of this amazing community for many years, and we feel responsible to give back,” Heineman said. “The Island Food Pantry is a great cause helping families all over. The least we can do is make enough pies for all the families and seniors this Thanksgiving. We hope everyone has a great holiday and stays safe!” 

Speaking to The Times by phone, Food Pantry executive director Kayte Morris said she was thankful for the donation and what it meant for Island families. “It’s really made Thanksgiving special for the Food Pantry,” Morris said. “I’m always overwhelmed by the generosity of this community, and this is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.”

The food pantry brought 75 pies to seniors and homebound families, and then distributed 75 more pies to families the following day.

There were 250 families at the pantry last week  — a 30 percent increase over the previous week.

“Things are getting real for us,” Morris said. “Having this kind of thing makes it really wonderful.”

Also in the giving spirit, the Edgartown Patrolman’s Association provided Thanksgiving meals to more than 40 families Wednesday. The patrolman’s association thanked Stop & Shop Edgartown and 19 Raw Oyster Bar for their help.

“From all of us at EPD, we hope you have a great Thanksgiving!” a post from the Edgartown Police Department reads.

1 COMMENT

  1. What a beautiful thing The Backdoor Donuts did with the pie donation to the Food Pantry. I tip my hat to you. – so generous.

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