Local 211 helps raise $40,000 for hospice services

Pictured are Local 211 President Dwight Chatham, left, and Marv LeMaster, Local 211 retiree chairman. Photo by Norman Jones, UAW Local 211

It’s just one pie, but it sure is rich.

Local 211 members at the General Motors Powertrain plant in Defiance, Ohio, participate in the annual auction for Charlie's Pie, a raspberry pie that is auctioned off each year to raise funds for The Caring Way Hospice of Defiance Auxiliary.

The auction consists of donated items from area businesses and individuals. The auction of the raspberry pie is the focal point and was started in 1986. Local 211 member Charlie Chatham was a promoter and strong supporter of the Hospice Fall Fair. Charlie is the late brother of current Local 211 President Dwight Chatham. That year, Charlie bid $100 for the pie. He continued to bid $100 for the pie every year until he needed hospice services and passed away in 1997.

That year, his Local 211 brothers and sisters bid the pie up to $600 in his memory. Since then, Local 211 active members and retirees have made this a true community event, volunteering at the fair and seeking donations from all over the county. The auction of the pie and other items has raised more than $400,000 for the hospice since it started. This year, the tally was $40,000.

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