Westbrook residents rallied for the victims of the April 26 fire on Brown Street by coming out in droves to a benefit supper at St. Anthony’s Parish on Saturday.
The hall was packed from 5 to 6:30 p.m. with diners coming in to donate money and have salad and meatballs and spaghetti for a good cause. Some people even dropped in just to leave money and didn’t stay to eat. Organizers estimated about 230 tickets were sold and it was the largest supper held at the parish.
“This dinner is tremendous,” said Lori Brogan, one of the victims of the blaze. “It makes me feel like people do care. Before (the fire), I didn’t think people cared.”
“Well, you deserve this and more than this,” said Parish Administrator Father Reggie Brissette to Brogan.
Brogan and fiancA?©e Joseph Langley are relying on the kindness of Westbrook residents to get by right now. Their dinner on Saturday night was free of charge and they were given a $25 gift certificate donated by Chicky’s Fine Diner.
Next to them at their table were Gary Sanville of Westbrook and his family. During the dinner, organizers ran a 50-50 raffle, and Sanville said he won about six times. Every time he won, he split the winnings with Brogan and Langley.
“We know what it’s like,” said Sanville. “My daughter’s house burned down four or five years ago in Windham. She lost everything.”
“It was a good effort by everybody,” said Bob Poitras, who cooked about 66 pounds of spaghetti the night before the dinner. With the spaghetti, they had about 800 meatballs and five gallons of spaghetti sauce.
Poitras said he was cooking for six hours the night before, but he wasn’t the only person donating their time and effort. About 60 people helped put the dinner on-baking desserts, serving the food and cooking. “In fact, they were climbing over each other” to help, he said.
St. Anthony’s parishioner and dinner organizer Lisa Champagne said the dinner raised about $1,900 for the victims of the fire.
“All together with our collection at St. Anthony’s Parish and the different groups within the parish that gave a donation we will be giving the Salvation Army a check for over $5,400,” she said.
Her husband, Russ Champagne, said the money came from the various groups represented in the parish as well as from putting collection cans at local businesses, hanging posters around town and sending about 1,700 flyers home with kids at local schools.
“The outpouring of donations was amazing,” said Lisa Champagne. “It’s heartwarming.”
City Councilor Dottie Aube, who collected paper plates and plastic utensils and cups in a trash bag during the dinner, said the event was a success. “I don’t know what they were expecting, but this is great,” she said. “People want to help.”
City Council President Brendan Rielly, who came with his wife, Erica, and three kids, agreed with Aube, saying the turnout was excellent. “This is what being in a community is all about,” he said.
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