Popular Lions Christmas cakes are back in the mix

THE end of the year is fast approaching and one of the great Lions Club traditions is coming back to the Greater Geelong area this Christmas.

The Lions annual Christmas Cake and Pudding Drive is returning this year and Geelong is full of clubs preparing to offer various cakes and treats to the local community.

There are seven registered Lions clubs in the Geelong area that have long been providing this service to local residents and one member is excited to get these cakes out the door.

Morris Pieper is a member, Christmas Cake chairperson and former president of the Geelong Corio Bay Lions Club, which was chartered back in 1963. Coincidentally that was also when the club first started delivering cakes to the area.

This year the cakes and puddings will be priced similarly to recent years. The 1.5kg cakes will cost $17, 1kg cakes and 900g puddings will be going for $13, and 80g slices that go nicely with a warm beverage will be just $2.

“One of the questions we get asked a lot is are they the cakes homemade?” Mr Pieper said.

“No, they are not homemade, however, the recipe belongs to the Lions, and they are very popular. We constantly get people searching for our stalls and our cakes.”

This year’s cake drive comes at an important time for Lions across the country, as raising funds has been difficult over the last 18 months.

“You ask any volunteer of any organisation why they do these things; they say they do it because they want to,” Mr Pieper said.

“Lions members love the feeling of helping people out and supporting the community and that’s what Christmas Cakes is all about.

“100 per cent of all funds raised through this year’s drive will be given directly back into the community at some point.”

The Geelong Corio Bay Lions Club will hope to continue selling cakes this year at Bunnings in North Geelong and Officeworks in the Geelong CBD should COVID-19 restrictions permit.

According to Mr Pieper, the club has 72 1kg cakes on hand currently and can take begin taking calls for orders now. They can also provide delivery and contactless payment.

Feel free to reach out to Mr Pieper for all cake enquiries via his email address [email protected] or his mobile 0430 279 808.