Butter, flour, sugar - and a lot of heart: A mid-century bake sale and your 2023/24 impact
Six hundred people flooded into St. Mary’s newly constructed cafeteria in September of 1961 for an open house meant to show off renovation progress at the hospital.
Attendees, many of them former patients, awed at the 10-storey expansion that had slowly risen over the summer months. And for a small donation, they indulged in a special St. Mary’s treat: Sister Zita McQueen’s famed butter tarts.
Sister Zita, St. Mary’s renowned resident baker from 1946-1964, had meticulously moulded and baked nearly 700 butter tarts and other delectable desserts for the open-house fundraiser.
Made with heart – and roughly 20 pounds of flour, 44 pounds of butter and 88 pounds of sugar – the tarts raised more than $700 (roughly $7,500 today) for the hospital.
OK, but why are we talking about 70-year-old butter tarts?
First, 2024 marks a century of compassionate care at St. Mary’s, and we’re in a reflective mood.
Second, Sister Zita’s modest, yet successful, bake sale highlights a constant through St. Mary’s 100-year history: staff members pouring their heart into improving care, and the community coming together in support.
Sister Zita's Delectable Butter Tarts
A 70-year-old recipe, made with heart - now available to bake at home.
* A printable recipe will open in a new window.
In 2023, St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation granted more than $10 million in community donations to the hospital, helping fund everything from large-scale projects – like our first MRI machine – to small but substantial items – like a freezer used to store meals for patients battling food insecurity.
St. Mary’s was made with heart a century ago. And it continues to beat strong thanks to donors like you.
Welcome to our annual community impact report – Made with Heart.
Browse through the videos and stories we’ve put together to see how you improved local healthcare in 2023/24.
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