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Spaghetti dinner benefits Harveys Lake firefighter whose home was damaged by storm

November 14

Serving up support

By Jerry Lynott jlynott@timesleader.com
Business Writer
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DALLAS TWP. – Having worked side by side with Mike Avery as a volunteer firefighter, Harveys Lake Chief David Davis knows him pretty well.

Davis and other firefighters Sunday afternoon helped out at a spaghetti dinner to benefit Avery, his wife, Brandi, and their two children, whose house sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Irene on Aug. 28.

From hearing Davis talk, if the benefit was for someone else, Avery and his family probably would have come to the Kunkle Community Hall for some pasta, salad and desserts.

“Mike’s the type of guy that won’t ask for help, but he’ll give it,” said Davis.

The day the hurricane hit, Avery was out with the fire department making sure roadways were cleared of fallen trees and debris. He got a call from his wife that a tree crashed into their house and others fell and blocked access to it. Avery and other firefighters went to his house on Foster Avenue, cleared the trees, took his family to safety at the Harveys Lake Fire & Ambulance Co. building and went back out into the storm.

When the time came for Avery to be on the receiving end of help, Davis said he offered some advice.

“ ‘You know what, you need to put your pride aside and accept some help, ’ ” Davis recalled telling his assistant chief.

Avery, 34, who works construction, appreciated the support.

“I know quite a few people,” he said looking about the room where people were seated at tables.

Benefit organizer Amy Williams counted 79 individuals had bought tickets for meals to eat in or take out.

“It’s only been an hour,” said Williams, who is a neighbor of the Avery family.

The dinner cost $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, except for those under 2, who ate for free. It was scheduled to run 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Williams planned to serve 300 dinners.

Mary Jean Tarantini of Harveys Lake picked up two dinners to take home.

Her house lost power when the hurricane hit and the fire department responded.

“They came, and God bless them, they tried to help us,” she said.

“This is just wonderful,” said Brandi Avery as she took a bottle of water from 3-year-old son, Mikey.

She and her son and daughter, Mackenzie, 8, were in the upstairs bedroom when a tree crashed down onto the house.

“We went down into the laundry room,” she said because it was the farthest away from the bedroom.

She said she called her husband and “he was there within five minutes.”

The family is living with her husband’s parents in Noxen and trying to figure out whether they can return home. In addition to having several holes in the roof and mold throughout the house, it shifted off of its foundation and the first and second floors separated.

Patty West of Harveys Lake arrived to say hello to her best friend, Brandi, sit down for something to eat and join the other diners who came out for the benefit.

“This is what a community should do,” said West.

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