by Jane Adams
Cathy Burns was a long-time community volunteer in South Mountain, helping with everything possible – from Nationview Public School, to the South Mountain Fair. Whatever it was, Cathy was there to support it. Cathy was also an amazing baker. And her famous peanut butter balls were well known throughout the area.
Sadly, Cathy passed away in July, 2019 after a long illness. She had spent a lot of time at Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) having dialysis and her family wanted to give back to the hospital as thanks for the care she received. So, Cathy’s husband Alan shared her long-held secret peanut butter ball recipe with Anne Carriere of Simply Baked Catering in Winchester. Then the Simply Baked team got to work.
From a simple Facebook post in early December, they received orders for 63 dozen peanut butter balls – 756 in all – resulting in a $315 donation to the WDMH Dialysis Unit in memory of Cathy. Some people even purchased peanut butter balls for WDMH staff.
“We wanted to honour Cathy Burns, a wonderful lady, who gave so much for the community,” say Simply Baked co-owners Cheryl Beasley and Anne Carriere. They plan to repeat the fundraiser in March, 2022 to coincide with Kidney Month, and make it an annual event.
“Cathy was an absolute gem and is dearly missed,” adds Cindy Peters, Manager of Direct Mail & Events. “I think this is a wonderful tribute to her, and I think she would love that she is still making a difference to her community. Thank you to Alan, the ladies at Simply Baked, and everyone who placed an order.”
