Buffet meal set up to feed the forces

  • 2014-09-15
A local eatery is putting on a special dinner event for veterans in just a few days’ time.

The idea was formed when Ralph Mancini, a resident of Albertson, near Williston Park, heard a story about a mom who wanted to welcome her son home from Afghanistan but could not afford to throw him a party.

Mancini contacted Anthony Gralta, a partner at Williston Park restaurant La Palma. He asked him about having a buffet dinner for veterans on a Monday evening, and Gralta agreed to the idea, even though La Parma is usually closed on Mondays.

Perhaps helped by local providers of professional printing services, Mancini and his wife Josephine sent Invitations to two American Legion Posts, 139 and 144, in Mineola and Williston Park. Gralta has also made an effort to spread the word about the meal and posted information about it on the restaurant's website. Every veteran in the area is welcome to attend.

The menu for the evening will include stuffed mushrooms, mussels, clams, fish, chicken, and a pair of pasta dishes.

Mancini told The Island Now that having the meal was the one way he felt he could give something back to veterans. His brother, Robert, served in Vietnam with the Army, while Josephine's father, Joseph Marino, was in the Pacific during the second World War.

The meal will take place on September 22, from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Veterans who are unable to sit down at the restaurant are also invited to stop by and pick up food for take-out.

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