Spaghetti dinner fund-raisers serve up heaping helpings of good eats

There's this great place to eat in Derry: Homemade sauce and meatballs, classic red-and-white checkered tablecloths, soft candlelight, good friends -- it's as much a place to socialize as to have dinner. And diners with frugal budgets are welcome: Meals cost just $4.50 for adults and $2.50 for kids. But you have to hit it at the right time: Dinner is only served once a month.

This dining experience isn't at a restaurant -- It's at Derry Presbyterian Church, which has been holding monthly spaghetti dinner fund-raisers from September through April for the past 15 years. Derry's Railroad Days celebration is the big kickoff for the spaghetti dinner season.

Phyllis Humphreys, a member of the church who helps with the dinners, said they were organized to help pay for an addition to the church.

"About two weeks before the dinner, we put out sign-up sheets for volunteers," Humphreys said. "We need people on kitchen duty to make the meatballs and cut vegetables for the salad, waiters, a cashier, hosts, and bus people. The children of members often sign up as busboys and bus girls. For those who want to contribute, but are unable to volunteer at the dinner itself, we also have a sign-up sheet for desserts."

"It takes about three days of prep work for each dinner," she said. "Thursday we set up the tables, Fridays we cut vegetables and make the meatballs and partially cook them, and on Saturdays Barry Henderson makes his famous homemade sauce."

Rather than serving cafeteria-style, the church rolls out round tables that seat eight. This way everyone can enjoy a meal with friends and family.

Still hungry• Not to worry: In the past year, the Tribune-Review listed spaghetti dinner fund-raisers for more than 90 different organizations, many of which serve piping hot pasta to hundreds of patrons on a monthly -- or even weekly -- basis.

Thursday standbys

The Manor American Legion serves dinner every Thursday. Bill Altieri makes a homemade Italian meat sauce adapted from a family recipe to complement a spaghetti dinner that includes tea, coffee, a basket of Italian bread and dessert (usually cake). It's a steal at $4.50 for all you can eat.

On average, 10-15 volunteers help out with the dinners, including Becky Nickle, who helps Altieri make the sauce. Usually, at least 200 people come from throughout the area, including regulars from White Oak and North Versailles.

"I came on in the '90s, but these dinners have been a weekly social event since the '70s," Altieri said. He lives around the corner from the American Legion so come hail, sleet or snow, he'll be there serving up dinner. "During the big ice storm we had last year, I walked over and still served around 180 people who made it out. Every Thursday we'll have the dinner. Religiously. We're better than the post office."

The money raised is used for building improvements -- most recently, the club installed an entrance with an access ramp. Altieri said that the club might not survive without the dinners. The group holds other fund-raisers, but none as lucrative as the spaghetti dinners.

Another reliable Thursday evening meal is held each week at North Hempfield Fire Hall, on Route 66, north of Greensburg. Judy Forish, recording secretary for the fire hall, said they've served up a spaghetti dinner nearly every Thursday for the past 18 years. For $4, patrons get spaghetti, salad and bread. They also offer meatball sandwiches, chicken Parmesan and chicken nugget dinners.

"You're seated, like at a regular restaurant, and waited on," Forish said, noting the funds raised support the purchase and upkeep of fire company equipment, including the recent additions of new rescue and fire trucks.

Secret sauce

St. Bede's Church, in Bovard, serves spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread, coffee and dessert to 400-500 people at its annual festival in June.

Pete Fredo said the money raised goes to repairs on the church and new equipment -- including this year's purchase of an automatic dishwasher and new windows. "The dinners are a great fund-raiser for us," he said, adding "The secret is in the sauce."

The homemade sauce is prepared by volunteers, including church member Lucille Dott. The recipe has been handed down through the years from older volunteers to younger ones. It's not written down: The newer volunteers learn by doing.

Dott has been making the sauce for about a decade. She learned the art from her older sister and her sister's friends.

Healthy profits

For the past three years, the Avonmore Lifesavers Ambulance Service has held spaghetti dinners in October and May to defray the costs of upkeep on equipment. They raise about $1,000 serving around 200 people at each dinner. The extra money helps buy lifesaving equipment the service would not otherwise be able to afford.

Other spaghetti fund-raisers in the medical field include one held by the Auxiliary of Mon-Vale Health Resources. They hold an annual spaghetti dinner in April to help raise funds for Mon Valley Hospital. Last year they raised more than $3,600 serving about 600 people.

"Everything is homemade: the meatballs, sauce and salads," said Ron Paglia, a representative from the Auxiliary. "The money raised from the spaghetti dinners is pooled with money from other fund-raisers to give an annual donation to the hospital. Last year's total donation was $81,500, and went to refurbish the critical care visitor's lounge and to expand the regional conference center."

The dinners mentioned here are only a sampling, so the next time you're in the mood for spaghetti, check out the Tribune-Review's Briefly Speaking column, published Thursdays and Sundays. Chances are, there'll soon be a feast somewhere close by, where you can catch up with old friends and lend your support to a community organization, all while enjoying a great meal.

Additional Information:

Recipe contest

This article is part of the Tribune-Review's month-long celebration of Italian food. Next week, watch for tips and favorite recipes from several area Italian restaurants. On July 25, this month's winner of the Home Plate Recipe contest will be announced.

Readers are encouraged to submit recipes for next month¹s theme, Greek cuisine, through Aug. 12. Please see the entry form for details.