St. Andrew’s kitchen was filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies Tuesday as members of the Queen of Peace Women’s Club prepared for its annual bake sale.

Scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon., the Saturday event offers homemade baked goods and mainly serves as a fundraiser for St. Andrew’s Hall.

Moved from Cahaba in 1880, the building now sits on the corner of Dallas Avenue and Washington Street and serves as a place for the Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church to hold youth services.

“We’re just trying to keep the building,” Cross said. “We need a new exterior staircase for safety reasons and other things that we have to continually do, which are expensive.”

The club also uses a portion of the money to give back to the community. It’s donated to Edmundite Missions, Selma-Dallas County Sav-A-Life and other nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving the area.

Not only will this year’s sale include the usual homemade baked goods, such as cakes, pies and cookies, but it will also feature casseroles and soups in small portions. Cross said the group agreed that offering the holiday dishes in small servings will benefit small families and individuals.

“That way when you get a big ole casserole, you don’t have to divide it when you get home, freeze it in sections,” Cross said. “It’s a way to help the families, like widows and single parents, be able to have something that will fit better in their freezer and serve their needs. We’re trying to see how it works out.”

Volunteers affiliated to the church have been preparing for the bake sale for more than six weeks. Cross said the group perceives the fundraiser as a good opportunity for the community to enjoy delightful treats during the upcoming holidays.

“Not all of us bake, and everyone doesn’t have access to getting freshly baked goods, especially rolls and breads,” Cross said. “We do this right before Thanksgiving, so everyone can get the opportunity to buy things and put them up for Thanksgiving and Christmas, since these things can freeze.”

The club will also be offering bake sale attendees a chance to enter its raffle fundraiser set for Nov. 2. Prizes for the raffle include a television, a $50 Tally Ho gift card and monetary prizes. Tickets are $1 each.

For more information about the bake sale and raffle, call Maria Stevenson at 872-5463 or Fran Vines at 875-5437.