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The annual Holly Tea and Bake Sale returned to St. John’s after its two-year hiatus from Covid. 

Held on Sat., Nov. 26 from 2 to 4 pm, in the parish hall of St. John’s, people came through the door around or soon after the 2 pm starting time. Seven bright red-coloured tables filled with various homemade baked goods  greeted visitors.

Donations were asked towards the Holly Tea-and-baked-goods portion of the sale. Additional baked goods for sale  filled seven tables with delectable varieties, shapes, and sizes.

The tea and bake sale was once sponsored every year by the Anglican Church Women (ACW) of the parish, says parishioner Evelyn Bowers, organizer of this year’s bake sale. 

Peggy Tribe, supervisor of this year’s kitchen and Holly Tea, is the former president of the Anglican Church Women at St. John’s. She said changing times opened up the 2022 tea and sale to all parishioners of the church. 

“We were down to four members” before Covid, said Tribe. Markedly different than in the 1990s when “we had a huge group” of women who baked and volunteered for  the tea and bake sale.

During Covid (2020-2021) no tea and bake sales were held for the safety of everyone involved.

Usually held the first weekend in December, rental of the hall by an outside group shifted the tea and sale to November 26.

The Rev. Alastair Hunting asked at the Sunday, Nov. 27, 10  am service how much money was raised in the two-hour sale and $900 came the answer. 

Ten percent of the proceeds are earmarked for the Anglican Church of Canada’s Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, otherwise known by its acronym, PWRDF. 

Bowers said an additional $266 were raised in selling leftover baked goods to parishioners after the Sunday service.

I don’t eat baked goods, said Tribe, but when pressed she did say she made little tart shortbreads of lemon and blueberries offered during the holly tea. 

“I received many compliments” about the tart shortbreads, adding Tribe noticed a number of people coming back for more as she poured tea that day. You could hear the pride in her voice when she talked her baked goods.