6th Annual Pasta & Sauce Drive Collects 100s of Donations

BABYLON, NY — The 6th annual Pasta and Sauce Food Drive in Babylon received a record amount of donations with over 1,000 lbs of pasta and hundreds of jars of sauce collected in October.

It's a project dear to the heart of Babylon Town Councilman Anthony Manetta.

"The idea first came about when I was elected," Manetta told Patch. "I wanted to do something to bring awareness to Italian Heritage Month in October."

Manetta said he and the Sons and Daughters of Italy Constantino Brumidi Lodge 2211 host the drive, which has become a yearly initiative to help local food banks such as the Town Food Pantry in Amityville.

"It really makes a tremendous impact," he said. "The donations go to local food pantries that are in desperate need of supplies."

Each year the drive has grown significantly, as not only residents but local businesses and organizations have stepped up — including libraries that act as donation sites each year.

"We even had Belfast Gastropub involved — the Irish and Italians working together!" he said.

Manetta extended special thanks to the Gastropub plus the Babylon Public Library, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, Constantino Brumidi Lodge 2211, all of which contributed to making this year’s drive a success.

As for himself, Manetta's favorite comforting pasta-and-red sauce dish is made with a marinara base, meatballs, sausage, bracciole and fresh pasta.

Asked for the full recipe, Manetta declined. "I have to get permission from my wife to divulge that to the public," he joked.