TEHACHAPI, Calif. -- Tehachapi Community Church has spent the last week getting ready for the 37th Annual Homemade Apple Pie Sale.

The Apple Pie Bake Sale started 37 years ago when the church decided to raise some money for community outreach.

Phyllis Pelcher has been helping make the pies since it began and remembers exactly how the church decided on homemade apple pies.

She said, "A woman named Dorothy Brian thought Tehachapi is known for their apples and we need to showcase Tehachapi and we need a little fundraiser so we can do more outreach in our church.”

The recipe is the same from back in the 1970s, still using local Tehachapi apples but times have changed.

Instead of the women making pies in their homes, the church now has a kitchen and it’s no longer just ladies making the pies.

Pelcher said, "Now we have a lot of men that help us. Originally, it was just the women, but now the men get in there and roll the dough and do just as well as we did in the early days.”

Last year the church made and sold nearly 700 pies, but this year they had to cut back.

Lonnie Stewart said, “It was a bit more than what we thought we could sell this year, what with the economy and everything, so we did cut back. But we should have about 400 and some odd pies.”

The church expects to raise between $3,000-$4,000 at the bake sale and all the proceeds will go to their monthly community outreach projects.

Projects range from giving food to those in need to providing diapers and school supplies for children.

The church also partners with the Salvation Army during the holidays to help out many local families.

“We work hard to support the community and our mission service and people in need," said Stewart. "We do whatever we can, so this is a big help.”

And while making nearly 500 pies is no easy task, the group said they look forward to it every year.

Helen Halasey said, "We really enjoy it. We plan our activities so that we’re free for pie making week. It’s one of my favorite weeks.”

The bake sale will take place next weekend, Oct. 3-4.

They will have frozen homemade pies and also some fresh out of the oven.

The group said they even have sugar free pies.

If you would like to order a homemade pie from the church you can call 661-822-4443.