Grazie Tutti! Nelson Italian-Canadian Society wraps up 2020 with community gifts
By Contributor
It's been said that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. And for the Nelson Italian-Canadian Society, this little bit of wisdom has once again translated to another successful fundraising event.
On December 4th and 5th, following in the footsteps of two previous successful fundraising events, the Society held its final fundraiser for 2020 — cooking nearly 400 litres of authentic Italian spaghetti sauce and sold out online in a mere five days.
Initial orders demanded 310 litres of spaghetti sauce. But when cooking for large events, they always prepare more than the exact number of servings. In the end, the Society cooked up 370 litres with the extra 60 litres being quickly snapped up by people who were on a waiting list.
Over the years, the NICS has built a reputation in Nelson through hosting many successful banquets that showcased their members’ culinary skills and their commitment to supporting local charitable causes.
However this year, due to the COVID pandemic, the Society was unable to continue their traditional Wine Festival and Christmas dinner banquet, instead offering up their famous spaghetti sauce to the residents of Nelson via online sales.
Jennifer Lehmann, Chairperson of KidSport Nelson accepts a $200 donation from Paul Boscariol, President of the Nelson Italian-Canadian Society. The funds, which were raised through sales of sausages, pasta sauce, and grapes for winemaking, will be used to help fund local youth athletes who need help paying for the fees associated with sports.— Submitted photo
“Over its 48-year history, we’ve earned the reputation of providing great food at our fundraising events," said a thrilled Paul Boscariol, NICS President,
"This sauce fundraiser was just another example of this. I’m certain that we had quite a few customers cooking pasta on Saturday night and smothering it with our freshly made sauce.”
The funds generated by the sausage making fundraiser, the wine grape and wine juice fundraiser and the spaghetti sauce fundraiser have been allocated to a range of local causes. NICS donation recipients for 2020 include two student scholarships at LV Rogers Secondary School, the Variety Club Telethon, the Royal Canadian Legion Wreath campaign, Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation, KidSport Nelson, Trafalgar Breakfast Club and the Nelson Community Food Center.
"Despite all the challenges posed by the restrictions due to the COVID pandemic, the Society was delighted to be able to successfully continue its fundraising to meet its donation commitments within the community.
“Once again, we have to thank all of our generous patrons for their ongoing support," said Boscariol.
"Their purchases indirectly makes them donors to the causes we have been supporting over the years. Our fundraising events this year were so successful that we were able to increase the overall amount of our donations."
“Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo a tutti! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all,” Boscariol added.
The NICS will be meeting via Zoom early in the new year to lay out the group’s plan for 2021.
The NICS intends to repeat this year’s events and encourage everyone to stay connected to the Society for their 2021 sausage, wine grapes/juice and spaghetti sauce fundraisers. Details will be available on the NICS Facebook page: @NelsonItalianCanadianSociety
Andrew Creighton, Community Relations Manager of the Nelson Community Food Centre accepts a $2000 donation from Paul Boscariol, President of the Nelson Italian-Canadian Society. The NICS was very happy to be able to increase their donation this year given the increased demands for food at the NCFC as a result of the ongoing COVID pandemic. — Submitted photo
Paul Boscariol, President of the Nelson Italian-Canadian Society presents a cheque for $300 to Marcello Piro of Trafalgar Middle School. The funds will be used to help support students in need to access the Hot Lunch Program at the school. — Submitted photo
