As each box is packed, volunteers at St. Michael’s Church in Binghamton are finally returning to some normalcy.

Their annual pierogi sale was cut short due to COVID-19 last year, and it's forced them to adjust how they do things this year.

“I can basically do all our operations this year with 12 people now on a shift, so I probably have about 10 or 12 here today. We have 10 or 12 when we’re running the machine back there, and it’s been working out OK,” said Randy May, the St. Michael’s pierogi sale coordinator.

Each volunteer has their own reason for giving back each year. Take Bob Tokos for example. He spent 23 years as an Army cook before returning to the Southern Tier.

One day, after losing a loved one, he was inspired to return to the kitchen in a new role.

“To be honest with you, I’m not a member here, but my grandmother was a cook back here back in the ‘90s, and when she passed away, I came the following year in honor of her,” Tokos said.

And he has been back just about every year since.

While the volunteer base is a lot smaller this Lenten season, each individual has their own role. One vat allows for 15 dozen pierogis to be cooked in around six minutes.

The next day, hundreds of boxes are sold to the community.

“It’s like a well-tuned, fine-tuned machine. These gals do the hard work, counting 12s into each one, putting the butter on, and all I do is cook,” said Tokos.

St. Michael’s sells thousands of pierogis each year, and it’s a crucial season for the church. That’s why it was a refreshing sign this year when most of the sales sold out within hours of opening.

“This is our major fundraiser, and it makes things easier during the year if you have a few extra dollars to fix some parts that need to be fixed,” said May.

While this was the final sale of Lent, St. Michael’s officials plan to have more fundraisers throughout the year.