Fundraiser garners $12K+ for firefighters
A spaghetti dinner fundraiser Saturday raised more than $12,000 to benefit the 12 fire departments that responded to the Jan. 30 Sir Speedy blaze on South Main Street in Butler.
The fire left the building, at 229 S. Main St., heavily damaged, and resulted in smoke and water damage to neighboring businesses such as Edward Jones Investments, Reclamation Brewing and Miller's Shoes. The cause of the fire hasn't been determined.
Don and Sherrie Paul organized the fundraiser Saturday at The Venue on Main.Sherrie Paul said each $10 ticket bought a pasta dinner, for which ingredients plus dessert were donated by a number of businesses throughout the county.Seven large items, including $500 gift certificates from two firearms shops and a two-night stay at a local bed and breakfast, were raffled.In addition, 51 raffle baskets were available, including a Harley-Davidson steam punk lamp, a $100 bill donated anonymously and a scratch-off ticket tree.All raffle items and baskets also were donated, Paul said.A 50/50 raffle was held, and a surprise drawing for lunch from three local eateries was held for three of the 12 responding fire departments.The departments that responded were Butler City, Butler Township, Butler VA, Callery, Slippery Rock, Chicora, East Butler, Adams, Saxonburg, Unionville, Penn Township and Herman.
Paul said the VA, Unionville and Callery volunteer fire departments won the lunch drawings.A post on The Venue on Main's Facebook page Wednesday announced that $12,380 was raised and will be divided among the 12 departments.Paul said she and her husband were moved to hold the fundraiser because Don Paul is a downtown business owner, and they could imagine how horrible it would be to suffer the fate of the three businesses damaged in the fire.She said the fire departments deserve the recognition and financial help because firefighters were able to contain the blaze to three buildings.“I just thought it was kind of necessary to say, 'Hey, thanks for keeping Main Street intact,'” Sherrie said. “We could have lost two blocks that day.”Sherrie said the fire couldn't have struck at a worse time, when small businesses were already reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.Paul praised everyone involved in the fundraiser, whether a business that donated a basket, meat, pasta, sauce, bread or dessert, or those who bought a ticket.“It says small businesses aren't dying, they were just lost for a little while,” she said.
