Something Sweet For Those Who Give

Three times a year, The Early Show does a series called Week Of Wishes, in which the show tries to help those in need.

During the week of Nov. 21, The Early Show is doing something special. All the wishes have to do with people affected by this year's hurricanes.

It's the show's wish to rebuild all of New Orleans, but that's not possible. The way to help is to build one family at a time.

Usually, the show gets the wishes through viewer mail. But Monday's wish is a little different because the recipients were already known. That's because correspondent Melinda Murphy did a story about them in July - before the hurricanes hit. They live in Gautier, Miss., not far from Biloxi, and they're as sweet as the pies they bake.

Before Katrina hit, this group of women got together at their church every Thursday morning for the past ten years to bake pies, lots of pies. Each and every pie was sold to raise money for charity.

Helen Lindsay says they have raised "between $40 and $50 thousand."

Donna Reiter notes, "We can't solve world hunger. And we can't solve health problems. And we can't solve this and that, but we can get someone who needs a pair of glasses, we can do that. Or if they need their gas bill paid, we can do that. So the little things add up.

They also supported a soup kitchen and the church's food bank. Their pie money has literally helped hundreds in the community.

"This is our outlet and this is our purpose," Martha Peterson says, and notes with a smile, "You're not supposed to feel good when you do something for God. You're just supposed to serve him. But it does make you feel good." And she laughs.

Katrina changed everything. Peterson's house was flooded and is now stripped to the studs. Lindsay's home had to be completely bulldozed because the hurricane did so much damage. In a cruel twist of fate, the ladies who helped so many are now the ones left in need.

Like so many in this area, these women are elderly and have no way to get back on their feet.

Lindsay has been living in the church since the storm. Amazingly, she helps cook three meals a day for hurricane relief workers who are living in the church's gym. Meanwhile, she and her husband, Walter, have looked at buying property, but they can't afford both to buy the land and also build a home large enough to meet city ordinances. Peterson, a widow, is living with her sister two hours away. Her son comes home on the weekends to help his mother try to rebuild her home.

So Lindsay and Peterson were asked to visit The Early Show to honor their pastor, who has done so much during this storm. But, of course, that was not really the reason why they were invited.

Fannie Mae's president and chief executive officer, Dan Mudd, gave Lindsay a deed to a piece of property and a home to go on it.

He said, "We heard from the folks at The Early Show what had happened and we at Fannie Mae decided there was something we needed to do to help because you had helped so many people. So we took the liberty of making a partnership with Safeway Homes down in Mississippi. We acquired a lot and we're going to build you a house, a two-bedroom house on Barracuda Street in Gautier. I'm very pleased today to give you a warranty deed for that house, and the keys to that house. And a check to get you started. It's going to be ready at about the beginning of the year. I'm very proud to say, on behalf of all the people that you helped, thank you."

"I'm going to cry," Lindsay said as she received the warranty deed for her house. "It's been not bad for me, because I stayed busy. I have help in the kitchen. I've done a lot of cooking and dishwashing and things like that. It was kind of bad for my husband. It's kind of disabled. And he didn't have too much to do. He had to sit in the room most of the time, and Brother Ron got him a computer and he plays that."

As for Peterson, Mudd surprised her with a $10,000 check to help refurnish her home. And Georgia-Pacific promised to replace the drywall in Peterson's bare house with mold-resistant drywall.

"Oh, this is wonderful," Peterson said.

The pastor, Ron Stanley, for his part, thought he was only on the show to honor the women who helped the community so much. But he also was surprised. Thought the roof of the parsonage has been replaced after it was ripped off by the storm, the walls are now moldy. So Georgia-Pacific has agreed to donate mold-resistant drywall for the parsonage, as well.

And last but not least, a group of elderly people in New York called The Caring Community has adopted The Pie Ladies. Melinda Murphy went to their annual fundraiser held a couple of weeks ago. Half the money from their raffle is going to The Pie Ladies to help them restock their pantry so they can start helping other people in their community once again.

Tuesday, stay tuned for more wishes fulfilled.