Embrace your love affair with pie and donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank with the Great American Pie Auction, National Pi(e) Day, March 14 with bidding ending March 25, 2012.

In celebration of National Pi(e) Day starting on March 14, 2012, The American Pie Council^® will be holding its first ever Great American Pie Auction. The APC and its members will be auctioning off a variety of items to bid on in order to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida in celebration of National Pi(e) Day. We're asking for your help to raise money and help fight hunger in Central Florida.

The APC Great American Pie Auction will include an assortment of pies (many of which can be shipped) and pie-related items, including a pie buffet cruise; a pie a month for a year from several well-known commercial bakeries including Grand Traverse Pie Company; California Raisin gift basket; Emile Henry ceramic pie dishes; gift cards for pies; autographed pie cookbooks from award-winning bakers; a Baking with Friends Gift Box from the Home Baking Association; a 48" pie with 300 slices, ideal for a large event or fundraiser, donated by Legendary Baking; and a trip to the APC/Crisco® National Pie Championships and the APC Great American Pie Festival sponsored by Crisco®  including a stay at the Caribe Royal All-Suite Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, the official host hotel of the championships. Bidding for the online pie auction begins at 9 a.m. EST on Wednesday, March 14 and closes at 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 25. Those interested in browsing and bidding should visit www.piecouncil.org.

The American Pie Council will help pie lovers everywhere continue their love affair at the  18th annual APC/Crisco^® National Pie Championships on Friday, April 27 through Sunday, April 29 at the Caribe Royal All-Suite Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando and the 11th annual APC Great American Pie Festival sponsored by Crisco^®   on Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29, in nearby Celebration, Fla. The American Pie Council^® is the only organization committed to maintaining America’s pie heritage, passing on the tradition of pie-making and promoting America’s love affair with pie. The APC offers personal, professional and commercial memberships. For more information, please visit www.piecouncil.org.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a member of Feeding America — the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. SHFBCF secures and distributes food and grocery products to approximately 500 agencies that feed the hungry throughout Central Florida. Last year, with the help of numerous donors, volunteers and a caring, committed community, the food bank distributed more than 33 million pounds of grocery products — the equivalent of more than 21 million meals — to partner agencies such as food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, senior centers, day care centers and Kids Cafes.