You could call the Easter pies made by volunteers from Oakland Christian Church lifesavers. If you buy one it will do more than satisfy your sweet tooth. It will help find a cure fore cancer.

All proceeds from the annual pie sale benefit the Suffolk Rockin’ Relay for Life, held each year to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

“We began the event in 1999, when one of our church members passed away,” said Denise Spady, a volunteer who organizes the event. “We still continue to do it. All the proceeds go to the Relay, and there is a lot of cancer support at our church.”

Since the event’s first sale 11 years ago, the pie effort has contributed $130,000 to the Relay.

Spady said a small army of volunteers at Oakland Christian Church makes between 1,000 and 1,200 pies each year.

“The effort is huge,” she said. “We have volunteers from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. this week on Thursday and Friday, a shorter shift on Saturday and again next week Monday through Wednesday.”

They divvy up the duties, including baking, juicing, mixing, delivering and folding boxes, to make sure the job gets done.

Curious what their grocery list looks like?

Try putting 205 dozen eggs, 650 pounds of sugar, 100 pounds of margarine, 375 cups of pecans, 35 pounds of coconut, 176 cans of evaporated milk, 25 cans of cocoa, 9 quarts of lemon juice, 20 dozen lemons, 20 pounds of flour, 16 cups of vanilla, 70 bottles of corn syrup and 42 cases of pie shells into your shopping cart!

The deadline for placing orders is Sunday, and pick-ups will take place April 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and April 2 from 9 a.m. to noon. Deliveries are available for orders of five or more pies.

Pies are $7 each and available in chocolate chess, lemon chess, coconut and pecan.

To order, contact the church office at 255-4353.