This Saturday, Columbus will get a little closer. People will come together, share a slice of pie, and maybe stay to talk about the big and small issues shaping our community.

FREE PIE
Saturday, May 30
Noon – 3 (or until the pie runs out)
15th & High, in front of the Wexner Center

Free Pie is a relatively new movement. It’s founded on the idea that simple gestures, like giving away free pie, can unite communities and spread joy. Nearly a thousand people have already turned out in Belfast, Maine; Atlanta; Brooklyn; and Washington, D.C., to share a slice.

The movement was started by 14 recent graduates, mostly young designers, from around the country at a 2 week program called Project M. The program’s founder John Bielenberg challenges participants to bridge the gap between design for design’s sake and its ability to change lives. Together, the participants design a project they hope will have a positive impact on society.

Back to our 14 graduates. Total strangers. Thrown in a room and told to design and implement a project – with no parameters – that would make the world a slightly better place. In two weeks.

They started by exploring the community (Belfast, ME), but, a week in, they still didn’t know what their project would be.

After hours of sitting in a room, spinning ideas, they decided to go out for dinner, a beer and a break. One woman the group ordered pie for dinner. She explained that she just loved pie. This started a whole new round of brainstorming.

The group realized that March 14 (pi day) was just a few days away. They talked about how all the problems that are happening in the world are so big. They want to solve them, but don’t have a way to start. So, they should do something simple. They should spread a little joy and bring community together.

Pie Day was born. The first event was in Belfast on March 14 this year. With two days to promote it, they went into the community guerilla style, talking to people one-on-one, posting flyers, creating buzz.

150 people showed up for that first event. The designers gave the pie away on ceramic plates to encourage people to stay around and talk. A lot of threesomes and foursomes had great conversations and left the event a little happier.

One of the movement’s founders – Amanda Buck – is bringing the event to Columbus this weekend and is encouraging people to stage their own Pie Day. The rules are simple:

Make a pie
Find a spot
Give it away

Amanda is baking 15 pies over the next few days (her apple is classic, but the strawberry-rhubarb is rumored to be the next big thing). And friends and strangers are bringing pies of their own to pass and share. Anyone can contribute or just eat and enjoy.

The Free Pie Movement won’t stop here. Today, Project M opened a permanent Pie Lab in its home city, Greenboro, AL. Greensboro is an underserved community in one of the poorest counties in the US. And, it’s been the launching point for a number of Project M’s most innovative projects.

The Pie Lab is a pop up pie shop where the community can gather and share stories. They sold out of pie the first day and are looking for more good days and good conversations to come.

Pie Day Movement: http://free-pie.org
Project M: http://www.projectmlab.com/