CLARKS SUMMIT — The parking lot of the Abington Shopping Center was filled with cars as they lined up to received food from Hooked on State Street on Sunday, May 3.
It was the new restaurant’s second fish and fries giveaway. It is their way to help the community who may be struggling financially during these troubled times.
“The community has been supportive of us, and we like to give back to the community,” said restaurant owner Arthur Rivaldo, who cooked fried tilapia and seasoned fries with his wife Melanie.
Some of the volunteers wore shirts saying “Professional Sheep Feeder,” based on the Bible verse John 21:17, in which Jesus tells his disciples, “Feed my sheep.”
“That’s why we do what we do,” Arthur Rivaldo said about giving free food to the community.
Last month, Hooked had their first fish and fries giveaway, in which they made and gave 1,200 meals.
Johnny Vegas, Hooked employee who helped build the restaurant with help from Mike Vasquez, Jr. of Vasquez Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning volunteered to give the bagged foods to the cars during the first giveaway.
He came back this month to volunteer again. This time, he received help from the Abington Lions Club. The club partnered with Hooked, and gave them a cash donation of $2,000 for the event.
“One thing we do is help the community,” said club president Shirley Skinner. “We have been helping with the delivery and the traffic.”
Club member and past president Tyler Kusma directed the traffic and the parking as well as bringing food to the long line of cars that went all the down to near the driveway.
“In terms of the event, it seems like it was a great success and certainly based off the turnout earlier and talking with people, it made the need of the community so much real,” he said. “One of the things we (Abington Lions Club) wanted to do was a meal distribution. We brought the manpower and donated some money.”
Tyler’s father Mark Kusma, who is also a member and past president of the club, also volunteered to hand food to the cars. “We give back to the community,” he said. “We saw the need, and reached out to Hooked and knew they’ve done it before. We contributed with the staff.”
The Abington Lions Club also delivered the fish and chips meals to local organizations including Allied Services, Regional Hospital, and CMC. They handed PPE (personal protective equipment) to Clarks Summit Police Department, Clarks Summit Fire Company, Olyphant Fire Department, and Dalton Fire Department.
Hooked also teamed up with other helpful organizations including NEPA Strong Small Business Support, who donated money. US Foods helped by dropping the prices of the foods that Hooked cooks for the event. Containers were donated by A and A. The Wright Center donated bottled water, which was given to the community. More than 2,000 meals were distributed this month.
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
