Prairie Grove's 'Pie Lady' Gives Away 5,000th Pie

PRAIRIE GROVE -- When Colonial Cafe closed its doors in 2011, Bernice Headrick was devastated.

She had worked for the cafe 29 years and cried for three months afterward because she missed her customers so much.

Believing that when God closes one door, he opens another one, she waited for what to do next. At times, Headrick said she questioned why it seemed to be taking God so long to just "open a window."

In the meantime, her husband asked her to bake him an apple pie. Colonial Cafe was known for its pies baked by Erma Matthews but Headrick was not involved in that part of the restaurant.

She said she probably had only baked about a dozen pies her whole life but agreed to make one for her husband.

"He said it was pretty good."

Two weeks went by and he asked her to bake him another pie. This time, she made two pies and gave one away.

And from that point, Headrick walked through her open door.

She increased the number of baked pies from two to four, from four to eight and now usually bakes 12 pies at a time. All are given away.

"I think it's better to give than to receive," Headrick said. "It does something to you when you give someone a pie. It's just because you are. It feels good to do that."

Headrick reached a personal goal last week. She gave away her 5,000th pie, a peanut butter creme pie.

Known as the Pie Lady around town, Headrick says she didn't give herself that name. She would show up and people would comment: here is the Pie Lady.

"Everyone kept saying it and it just kinda stuck."

The nickname is appropriate when considering all the pies she has given away to so many people in 3 1/2 years.

She made her first pies in August 2013 and gave away 301 pies that year. In 2014, she gave away 1,512 pies. For 2015, the total was 1,357 pies and last year, she offered 1,641 pies to people.

So far, she has baked more than 190 pies in 2017.

Headrick has provided pies for fundraisers, weddings, has left free pies for almost all businesses in town and drops off pies at the schools, Prairie Grove Senior Center, fire department, police department, funeral home and nursing home. Many times, she gives pies to people in need, either because of a death in the family or medical problems.

"A lot of times I'll give two pies to someone and tell them if they don't need both, to pass one pie onto someone else. That's why I love doing it because it's for someone who doesn't expect it."

Headrick makes pies to help two benefits that are near and dear to her heart. Two years ago on Veterans Day, she baked 16 pies and walked around downtown Prairie Grove giving them away to veterans.

For Veterans Day 2016, she set up a table in Harps parking lot and gave away 56 pies to veterans, helping veterans from all military branches.

"I gave them each a hug and gave them a pie," Headrick said.

Another benefit she helps each year is Cowboys for Hospice and she makes pies for the fundraiser.

Giving away pies is also a way to pay it forward, she said.

Headrick had surgery in 2005 and friends talked her into allowing them to host a benefit to help with medical costs. By providing pies for fundraisers, she is helping others as she was helped, she said.

Sometimes people give her donations for her pies. Other times, people will give her ingredients to help with the costs. She admits she's spent a lot of money on ingredients for 5,000 pies and the one thing that makes it all possible is that her husband supports her desire to help others by giving away home-made pies.

The one time she's accepted donations for her pies was to help her nieces's preschool class at Prairie Grove Elementary School. Donations for the pies raised $1,100, enough to purchase a new playhouse and new toys for the classroom.

Headrick is from a family of 13 kids and has many relatives in Prairie Grove. These relatives have received pies as well.

"I think she's wonderful," said Billie Sue Vickery, an aunt. "She's always been that way."

Her niece Trenda Weaver said she finds it "pretty cool" that her aunt is the Pie Lady and gives away pies.

Both women agree her pies are delicious.

Headrick's personal favorite pie is German Sweet Chocolate. In all, she makes 44 different pies, including apple, blackberry, cherry, coconut creme, blueberry, German Swiss chocolate, pumpkin creme and banana creme.

She uses Erma Matthew's crust recipe and her pie recipes come from a cookbook and from her sisters' favorite recipes.

Now that she's reached her goal of 5,000 pies, what's next?

"Maybe now I have a new goal: 10,000 pies," Headrick said. "I like doing it and appreciate all the people who have given donations and ingredients.

A website for the Pie Lady is being developed and will be online soon for people to get more information.