‘Parade of Trees’ at Grotto Pizza celebrating 25 years of charitable giving

HARVEYS LAKE — Armand Mascioli, co-owner of Grotto Pizza, said it best.

“This year presents a unique challenge in preparing and displaying The Parade of Trees,” Mascioli said. “After discussion with participants, our customers, and our team, we decided to keep the tradition going, albeit with changes to maintain safety. We feel it is particularly important to embrace the Christmas spirit this year, and I expect many of the participating charities could use the support more than ever.”

This year marks the 25th annual Grotto Pizza Parade of Trees at Harveys Lake. Since its inception, the Parade of Trees has raised more than $320,000 for local charities, thanks to the continued participation of area businesses, the support of the general public and the generosity of the Joseph and Erma Paglianite Charitable Foundation, which will add another $25,000 to collected donations again this year.

Mascioli said due to the impact of COVID-19, there will be no decorating party this year. Instead, sponsoring businesses and their decorating teams have been hanging ornaments independently at different times, so as to avoid large groups and maintain social distancing protocols.

All trees were to be completed and ready for display by Nov. 24, inside the main dining room at Grotto Pizza Harveys Lake.

How it works

Businesses sponsor a tree in support of the charity of their choice. Visitors to Grotto Pizza Harveys Lake then “vote” with donations to that tree — each vote is $1. The Parade of Trees, featuring 25 local charities, will be on display through New Year’s Eve.

Grotto Pizza at Harveys Lake has received official state certification for indoor dining to 50% capacity and follows all safety guidelines.

“With COVID-19 impacting every part of our lives, it’s good to have something like The Parade of Trees that can bring some holiday joy to families in a safe environment,’ Mascioli said. ““These are difficult times for everyone, including local charities. The Parade of Trees presents an opportunity to raise much-needed funds for these organizations, and giving is what Christmas is all about.”

GFWC-West Side sponsors tree to help Dinners For kids

All 25 participants in the 2020 Parade of Tree are local charities that perform critical services in the community. The event offers the public the opportunity to come out to see the beauty of each tree and to donate to their favorite charity, or to several, or to all 25.

One community organization that has been involved with the Parade of Trees for years is the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC)-West Side, which is sponsoring a Christmas tree for the Dinners For Kids program.

Dinners for Kids, a non-profit group based at Ollie’s Restaurant in Edwardsville, was established to fight childhood hunger and food insecurity. The organization provides healthy meals to 160 at-risk children across Wyoming Valley.

GFWC-West Side’s tree for Dinners for Kids tree is decorated with handmade items — paper snowflakes and salt clay molded ornaments of food ranging from pizza to turkey legs, watermelon, spaghetti and gingerbread men, along with pictures of children enjoying a meal. The tree is topped with a Chef’s Hat and sign depicting that many community helping hands that make the program possible.

Dinners for Kids was founded in 2011 by the owners of Ollie’s restaurant, with the goal of fighting childhood hunger with healthy meals. The program provides at risk children in the greater Wyoming Valley freshly prepared, “kid approved” nutritious and balanced dinners in microwave-safe containers, accompanied by fresh fruit. The program delivers for each child six meals per week, year-round.

The impact of this service is significant. The children do not go to sleep hungry and there is improvement in their behavior and learning ability.

For more information, go to www.dinnersforkids.com.

PARADE OF TREES PARTICIPANTS LIST

Below are the participants and the organizations they are supporting:

Fidelity Bank (Back Mountain Food Pantry)

Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists (Peggy’s Pathway)

Barber Ford, Inc. (Unicornucopia Foster Children)

Smith’s Country Store (Carrie Martin Foundation)

Eye Care Specialists (NESS Insight Kids Club)

Lehman Idetown United Methodist Church (The Graniteville House of Recovery)

General Federation of Women’s Clubs–West Side (Dinners for Kids)

Hillman Security & Fire Technologies (United Way)

Moto Graphics, Inc. (Children’s Service Center)

Salon NouVeau (Misericordia Women with Children)

Sorber Well Drilling (Patriots Cove)

Fino’s Pharmacy (Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge)

Bel Air Pools and Excavating (Janet Weiss Children’s Hospital)

WBS Penguins Booster Club (Make-A-Wish Luzerne/Lackawanna County)

Spess Construction LLC (Ronald McDonald House)

Orlando Foods, Inc. (Alzheimer’s Association)

The Medicine Shoppe WB (Medical Oncology Associates Prescription Fund)

Pampered Chef Independent Consultant, Joan Horwatt (The Welsh Cultural Endeavor of NEPA)

Dominic’s Equipment Rentals Sales & Service Inc. (Camp Orchard Hill)

Mt. Zion Material Handling (Brighter Journeys)

Hi Lites Motor Club (Sleep In Heavenly Peace)

NEPA Harveys Lake Chapter Antique & Classic Boat Society (American Cancer Society)

Reilly Finishing Technologies (Valley with a Heart)

Yanik Family Chiropracti (Eva’s Tree)

Grotto Pizza (American Diabetes Association)