Laci Hoehn bags up hoagies at The Hoagie Shop Friday where money was being raised for Butler Meals on Wheels courtesy of the Butler Eagle and Ron and Linda Vodenichar.

BUTLER TWP — Customers were sandwiched together for much of Friday at both Hoagie Shop stores in the township.

Many came with empty stomachs and full hearts.

“It’s important to support the community,” said Megan Erickson of Butler Township. “It’s time Butler bands together and does something for others.”

It was that kind of community spirit and kindness that made a grassroots fundraising event such a success — the total raised could hit $5,000.

It all started Dec. 31 with a burst pipe that flooded the Meals on Wheels’ Butler office on East Jefferson Street with hot water, damaging everything including floor, walls, dry food, paper products, office supplies, furniture, printers and other electronics.

The setback stopped deliveries to Meals on Wheels clients until Monday.

Enter Travis Frenchak, owner of The Hoagie Shop, and Butler Eagle publisher Ron Vodenichar and his wife, Linda, who all stepped up in a show of community stewardship and goodwill.

Frenchak, whose sandwich stores are at the Point Plaza and Bon Aire shopping centers, provided 178 free hoagies to Meals on Wheels on Jan. 3 so that each of the agency’s 89 clients received one hot and one cold hoagie.

The Vodenichars, in turn, came up with a fundraising idea.

The Butler Eagle set up donation boxes at The Hoagie Shop locations to allow customers the chance to ante up cash or checks to Meals on Wheels. Donation boxes were also available at the Butler Eagle office on West Diamond Street.

But that wasn’t all. The Vodenichars put their money where their mouth is — pledging to donate $1 per hoagie sold Friday at both Hoagie Shop stores, up to $250. The newspaper also pledged $1 per hoagie up to $250.

The efforts opened hearts — and wallets. The public showed its hunger to give.

In all, 731 hoagies were sold Friday.

A full story will appears in Monday's Butler Eagle.