Mother-Daughter Team Bakes Pies to Combat Cancer!

One year after her diagnosis of breast cancer, Larchmont resident Cindy Habig decided to do something about the disease she’d come to hate. Ten pairs of sneakers and four Avon 39 Walks to End Breast Cancer later, she, along with daughter Katie, are on to something therapeutic – apple pies.

In 2013, still recovering from her own mastectomy and reconstruction, Cindy signed up for her first Avon Walk, a two-day 39-mile walk. She joined Team 4ever in San Francisco, a team started by her sister-in-law, Lis Fuchs, who had become a tremendous advocate for breast cancer awareness and research after her own initial diagnosis at age 37. Avon Walk 39 began in 2003 to fund research to aid in the prevention, understanding, and treatment of breast cancer and now is held in seven cities across the United States.

Hooked after her 2013 walk, Cindy signed up for the walk again in 2014, this time joined by her older son, Robbie. When her entire family – husband Bruce, sons Robbie and Matt, and daughter Katie – decided to join her for the walk in 2015, Cindy realized they had to get creative to raise the funds needed to meet Team 4ever’s fundraising goals. According to Cindy, she and Katie came up with the idea while out training for a walk. They’d always enjoyed baking together, and “Katie could whip out a fruit pie without a recipe.” They emailed a handful of friends inviting them to order Memorial Day pies. The 150 apple pies they baked and sold as a result helped propel Cindy to the 2nd highest fundraiser in the 2015 San Francisco Avon Walk, behind her sister-in-law, Lis.

Sadly, this year, the Avon 39 Walk has a special meaning for Team 4ever, as team founder Lis passed away in November 2015 at age 51 from breast cancer. Says Cindy, “Our feet are heavy, but there is much more to be done. So we keep walking. Everyone who buys a pie becomes a part of our team. It really helps know how much support we have in Larchmont.” Katie adds, “Cancer won’t stop with Lis, so neither will we.”

Team 4ever hopes to push their cumulative team total to $500,000 and they are counting on their delicious, home-baked apple pies to help. Cindy and Katie, a recent Villanova University graduate, expect to bake 200 pies for July 4 week-end. Having baked almost 100 pies for Memorial Day week-end, they anticipate using 1,000 pounds of apples this season. “Thankfully,” Cindy says, “the pie sale helps us turn a very serious and painful topic into a way to spread happiness. Friends share our pies, our story and our mission for us. We truly enjoy baking, but talking to each friend or neighbor as they pick up their pies is my favorite part … and our house smells really good!”

To order a pie, contact Cindy Habig: chabig4ever@gmail.com or (914) 834-1174. A 10-inch pie sells for $25; a 6-inch pie $15. For donations over $100, donors also receive a free pie. To donate online: bit.ly/KHabigAvon39 and bit.ly/CHabigAvon39. Pick-up dates begin June 30. See flyer for details.