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Sandy Journal

Fratelli Ristorante Donates $10,000 to Utah Food Bank

Mar 09, 2016 02:35PM ● By Bryan Scott

By Kelly Cannon | [email protected]

Sandy - Every year for the past eight years, Fratelli Ristorante hosts an anniversary dinner to celebrate the success of the restaurant. However, the dinner also serves another purpose: giving back to the community. 

“My brother’s wife works at the Utah Food Bank, and we always wanted to do a big event,” Dave Cannell, co-owner of Fratelli Ristorante with his brother Pete Cannella, said. “Back then, it was a good time to do it so why not help out with a big event?”

The anniversary dinner is the biggest banquet the restaurant puts on. Held in November, the dinner is funded by private donors. The cost of the meal is $50 for the five course meal and $50 for the win pairings that go with the food. In the past three years, a silent auction has been added with prizes donated by local business. In the past, prizes have included expensive watches, ski packages and movie theater bundles. All the proceeds are then donated to the Utah Food Bank.

“It’s growing bigger and bigger each year,” Cannell said.

This last dinner hosted by the Fratelli Ristorante had over 100 guests and raised $10,000. 

The tradition started for the brothers Cannell and Cannella for a desire to give back to the community which has supported their business over the years.

“We looked at our lives. We’ve been very fortunate and there are those out there who have less than we do,” Cannell said. “The little bit we give helps out as much as we can.”

The Utah Food Bank was very appreciative of the donations given by Fratelli Ristorante over the years. 

“Utah Food Bank is incredibly grateful for the support of Fratelli Ristorante. To see these two local business owners working so hard, not only at their business, but also to help people in their own community is always inspiring,” Ginette Bott, Utah Food Bank chief development officer, said. “Their ongoing support of our work of fighting hunger statewide has provided the equivalent of over 150,000 meals for Utahns facing hunger.”

In 2015, the Utah Food Bank distributed 31 million meals across the state to hungry Utahns. The Utah Food Bank provides several different programs to help feed those facing hunger, including the Kids Café, which last year provided nearly 283,000 meals served at after-school programs. These meals often serve as participant’s last meal of the evening. The Utah Food Bank also sponsors the BackPack Program. Last year the Utah Food Bank distributed more than 63,000 backpacks with food to help sustain children during weekends when they don’t have access to school meal programs.

The Utah Food Bank also delivered more than 40,000 food boxes last year to homebound seniors and people with disabilities. They also served more than 165,000 individuals throughout the state in communities that are underserved by traditional brick-and-mortar pantries. 

For more information about Fratelli Ristorante, visit fratelliutah.com or call 801- 495-4550.

To learn more about the Utah Food Bank, visit utahfoodbank.org or call 801-978-2452.