Local Restaurants Make Friends4Friends Event a (Great) Taste of Sullivan
Many local restaurants donated delicious dishes to make the Friends4Friends event extra special.
The following people and organizations volunteered their time, services and/or donated food or supplies for the December 12 event at the White Lake Firehouse:
Bethel Business Association
White Lake Firehouse & Department
Kauneonga Lake Fire Department
Smallwood/Mongaup Valley FD
Margaret Hazen
Dave Byron
Nellie Bruskin
BJ Gettel
Erin Lynch
Ann-Marie Dedea Westridge (Bubba’s BBQ)
The Catskill Chronicle
Rachel Keebler/Cobalt Studios
Denise Frangipane
Tina Guarini
Town of Bethel Supervisor Dan Sturm
Jim DiCarlo
Paul Ciliberto and Bold Gold Media
Louis Landon
John Slaver
Smallwood Country Store
ShopRite
Bubba’s BBQ
The Front Porch
Michele’s Ristorante Italiano
The Fat Lady Cafe
The River’s Edge
Benji and Jake’s
Colosseo
Last Licks
Flour Power
Brother Bruno’s
CITGO White Lake
Mobil Mongaup Valley
Liberty Diner
Blue Horizon Diner
Danny’s
The United WaySullivan County
LawFirmsPR (Rich Klein)
RubyFlecks Creative Consulting
Jo-Ann Peabody (Jo-Ann Peabody Management)
Malek Properties
County Fountain Supplies/Gary & Mona Tugender
Wes Wallgren
Greg Hall
Nerissa Lewis
Mariana Montoya
Devin Wallgren
Tyler Richardson
Taylor Gianquinto
Jessie Wagner
CC Neal
Kelly Sturm
Benefit Raises $1,600 Plus Gift Cards and Food Donations
Contact:
Rich Klein (Smallwood)
LawFirmsPR
Tel: (888) 714 – 5266
rich@lawfirmspr.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friends4Friends Holiday Party/Benefit At White Lake Firehouse Raises $1,600 Plus Gift Cards, Food Donations
Donations To Help Shepherd’s Food Pantry in Bethel and Support Local Fire Departments
White Lake, NY, December 14, 2009– Despite tough economic times, Bethel and Sullivan County residents showed great generosity at the Friends4Friends benefit/party at the White Lake Firehouse Saturday night (December 12),
The holiday celebration, aimed at helping Shepherd’s Food Pantry in Bethel and the three local fire departments, raised $1,600 in cash/checks, $80 in gift cards and many packaged food donations. Fifty percent of the proceeds with go to Shepherd’s Pantry, along with the many large bags of packaged food people brought to the event. The other half of the proceeds will be distributed among the White Lake, Kauneonga Lake and Smallwood/Mongaup Valley Fire Departments – all who responded to the devastating November 7 fire at Friends Pub in Smallwood.
Jim DiCarlo, owner of Friends Pub who spoke at the event, said: “I took for granted how much the fire companies do. They did a tremendous job at saving that building. They are the ones who deserve all the credit for what’s happening tonight. If it were not for the fire companies, who knows what might have been.”
Friends4Friends gave representatives of each fire department a Certificate of Appreciation that were presented by Town Supervisor Daniel Sturm.
The event was truly a “taste of Sullivan” with many delicious plates donated by many local restaurants and free beverages provided by County Fountain Supplies.
Rich Klein, a spokesperson for Friends4Friends, said: “We are thrilled at how everything turned out: from the amount of money raised and goods donated, to the great spirit of giving by individuals and businesses and the holiday spirit that filled the room. The Friends4Friends committee was so inspired that, before the night was over, we were already talking about doing this every year.”
He added that so many people volunteered to make the event a success, from middle/high school students serving food and supervising little kids at the drawing tables, and cleaning up, to senior citizens staying late to mop the floor.
Cobalt Studio’s Rachel Keebler, donated her face painting talents while John Slaver and Louis Landon donated the musical entertainment for the entire evening.
The event was created by Friends4Frends http://friends4friends.wordpress.com, a small group of concerned citizens who wanted to support Friends Pub owners Jim and Mary Ellen DiCarlo as they rebuild in coming months and plan their grand re-opening for this spring.
Those who want to donate can continue to do so. Just email Jo-Ann Peabody at mrspeabody@hvc.rr.com, or call her at 845-798-5885. Donations can also be mailed to Friends4Friends, C/O Malek Properties, PO Box 567, White Lake, NY 12786. Checks should be made out to: BLDC.
DiCarlo also told the crowd that the demolition of Friends Pub in Smallwood is now complete and that new construction is about to begin this week, noting that the new Friends Pub will have some additional space when it reopens this Spring.
More information about the event, a list of restaurants that donated and progress about the rebuilding of Friends Pub, can soon be found at http://friends4friends.wordpress.com, http://twitter.com/friendspub, on the Smallwood, NY page on Facebook as well as on other pages/blogs/websites about Smallwood, Bethel, Sullivan County and the Catskills.
Founding Members of Friends4Friends: Carol Malek and Tina Guarini of Malek Properties; Jo-Ann Peabody of Jo-Ann Peabody Management; Lori Rubinstein-Fleck of RubyFlecks Creative Consulting; Rich Klein of LawFirmsPR; Paul Ciliberto of Bold Gold Media; Denise Frangipane, Town of Bethel Councilwoman and Daniel Sturm, Town of Bethel Supervisor.
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Friends4Friends Benefit a Huge Succcess
Thank you Bethel, NY and Sullivan County. The Friends4Friends benefit tonight raised $1,565 for our food pantry and three great fire departments: White Lake, Kauneonga Lake and Smallwood/Mongaup Valley. Another $80 in gift cards was also donated along with packaged food for the neediest. Local restaurants from around the county supplied delicious food served by middle/high school students & the musicians played for free. The holiday spirit of giving was beautiful to see. Stay tuned for continuing information on the Friends Pub grand re-opening this Spring.
Carol Malek of Bethel Business Association Talks About Friends4Friends Event
Carol Malek, owner of Malek Properties in White Lake and a leader of the Bethel Business Association, recorded a radio spot to promote the Friends4Friends event on December 12. It aired as a public service announcement on Thunder 102.
Radio Promotion of Friends4Friends Event
Listen to the radio spot recorded by Town of Bethel Supervisor Daniel Sturm about the Friends4Friends event on Saturday, December 12 at the White Lake Firehouse. This aired as a public service announcement on the Thunder 102 radio station.Dan SturmFINAL2
HOLIDAY PARTY/BENEFIT SCHEDULED AT WHITE LAKE FIREHOUSE FOR DEC. 12th
November 24, 2009
Dear Friend,
Friends Pub in Smallwood was severely damaged in a fire earlier this month. Although the news is a temporary loss to Bethel, thankfully, no one was hurt and the owners, Jim and Mary Ellen DiCarlo, are rebuilding and plan to reopen this spring. Many supporters and friends thought this was an opportunity to turn a tragedy into something positive for the entire community.
That’s why we created Friends4Friends (http://friends4friends.wordpress.com) – to harness the outpouring of community support, to keep people informed about the rebuilding process, and to organize events that keep the Friends Pub and holiday spirit alive in coming months. One of those events will be a Community-wide Holiday Party/Benefit on Saturday, December 12 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the White Lake Firehouse on Route 17B. (It’s searchable on Google Maps).
Friends4Friends is asking that each person bring gift or gas station cards, oil vouchers, food items, and cash. The suggested donation is $5, whether it’s cash or the same value in a card/voucher/food item. Fifty percent of the proceeds will be divided among the three Bethel fire departments (White Lake, Kauneonga Lake, and Smallwood/Mongaup Valley) and the balance will be donated to the Shepherd’s Food Pantry, in Bethel. Monetary donations may also be made at the door to the local fire departments and to other local charitable organizations. Local restaurants are donating food for the party for what will be a great “pot luck” event. Jim and others will be cooking, and there will be fun for all ages! There will be face painting and holiday craft making for the kids and musical performances for everyone, including some by those who are regular performers at Friends.
If you would like to donate in advance or volunteer to help during the event, please email Jo-Ann Peabody at mrspeabody@hvc.rr.com, or call her at 845-798-5885. Donations can also be mailed to Friends4Friends, C/O Malek Properties, PO Box 567, White Lake, NY 12786. Updates about the party and other information concerning Friends Pub can be found at http://friends4friends.wordpress.com , http://twitter.com/friendspub the Smallwood, NY page on Facebook, related Facebook pages, and other websites/blogs about Smallwood, Bethel, Sullivan County and the Catskills. Announcements will also be made by local radio and other media.
Thanks, in advance, for your generosity. See you at the party!
Sincerely,
FRIENDS4FRIENDS
Founding Members: Carol Malek and Tina Guarini of Malek Properties; Jo-Ann Peabody of Jo-Ann Peabody Management; Lori Rubinstein-Fleck of RubyFlecks Creative Consulting; Rich Klein of LawFirmsPR; Paul Ciliberto of Bold Gold Media; Denise Frangipane, Town of Bethel Councilwoman and Daniel Sturm, Town of Bethel Supervisor
Times Herald-Record Coverage
Here’s a link to a story about the rebuilding of Friends Pub.
Friends4Friends Launch
This blog was created to keep people informed about Friends Restaurant in the hamlet of Smallwood (Town of Bethel) New York. The restaurant was heavily damaged by fire in early November and is expected to be closed for repairs for approximately five months. In the interim, the community has come together to offer support for the owners and their employees. Fire Departments from around Sullivan County did a tremendous job containing the fire, particularly the local Fire Departments in White Lake, Kauneonga Lake and Smallwood/Mongaup Valley. Stay tuned for future announcements.
