A great year for the Charity Pasta Nights held at the Caboto Club.
$29,200 was raised for local charities in 2024 due to the event, with even a friendly rivalry between the organizations to see who could get the most people to attend.
The nights take place on the first Wednesday of every month, and each month a different local charity hosts the event where pasta, salad, buns, and coffee or tea are served for $15 a person.
The Humane Society saw just over 730 people attend their event in March , however Fantastic Fathers - a non-profit organization that celebrates family and fatherhood - broke the record and saw the highest attendance with nearly 770 dinners being served in October.
Toni Piazza, organizer of the Charity Pasta Nights, says it was fun seeing the friendly competition between the organizations.
"They were trying to out-do each other, the Humane Society started in March by bringing in 734 people, and Fantastic Fathers had it in the cards to surpass them, and they did with 767 in October."
Robert Brait, President of the Giovanni Caboto Club, says it's great to be able to help local organizations.
"The need for charitable events and to help charities is definitely something that is prevalent in today's society, and you can just take a look around town and you'll see that there's a lot of people that need help. So, it's great that we have these 12 charities."
Steve Brown, founder of the Fantastic Fathers, says it's a very friendly rivalry for a great cause.
"We set our sights high and we were able to attain what we set out for. We ended up with 767 meals on our day last year back in October, and this year we actually moved ours up to April and we've got some surprises, and we're going to get some people out on that night too. And I guess it's our record to break now."
The funds raised will be equally shared amongst the 12 charities.
Those charities include: Iris Residential Inns & Services, Hospice of Windsor, WECHS, Autism Ontario, CDN Mental Health Association, Brain Injury Association, ALS Society, Life After Fifty, Children First, Fantastic Fathers, Italian-Canadian Handicapable Association, and Canadian Blood Services.
A list of the organizations taking part in the Charity Pasta Nights for 2025 can be found by clicking here.