Samaritan House to host pasta dinner fundraiser to stock food pantry

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Samaritan House will be hosting a pasta dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. March 6 with a goal of raising $20,000 to fill its food party to help those in need.

In the past fiscal year, the nonprofit community service organization serving northwestern Macomb County has helped more than 5,200 individuals with food. Samaritan House also delivered groceries to 456 homebound clients.

The dinner will take place at the Palazzo Grande, 54660 Van Dyke Ave. in Shelby Township. The event will include a pasta dinner, raffle baskets and a 50-50 drawing. Magician Mark Luedtke will entertain, and there will be a cash bar.

Kim Dunn, the event coordinator at the Samaritan House, said this year for the first time organizers are moving the event to the Palazzo Grande.

“Our goal is $20,000, which will help us stock our food pantry. With the increase in food prices, our fundraising efforts mean more now than ever. We can proudly say that 83% of money donated to our mission goes directly to client services,” she said.

Sue Dudgeon, a Shelby Township resident, was an attendee of last year’s event and will be attending this year too. Dudgeon said she enjoyed last year’s event and looks forward to going to this year’s event too.

“Not only was last year’s Samaritan House’s pasta dinner delicious and plentiful, it was so much fun. A magician came to our table and made balloon animals. The raffle had huge, great item baskets — definitely worth the price of the tickets. It was a great night of socializing and community serving a wonderful organization,” Dudgeon said.

Michael Girardi, from Washington Township, attended last year’s event and will be attending this year’s event.

“The Samaritan House pasta dinner is an event I don’t want to miss, not just because I won the 50-50 raffle, but because it was a well-organized, great, spirited dinner. The food was excellent and the evening flowed. (It was a) very entertaining night for an amazing cause,” Girardi said.

Tickets to the event cost $40 for adults and $20 for children ages 12 and younger. Tickets are available at samaritainhousemmichigan.org or at the organization’s facility at 62324 Van Dyke Ave. in Washington Township. Tickets are only available in advance through Feb. 28. For more information, call (586) 336-9956.