Vico Of Farmingdale Offering $5 Per Takeout Order To Charity The Chloe Belle Foundation

FARMINGDALE, NY — Vico, an Italian restaurant in Farmingdale, is donating a portion of every takeout order sold to a cancer charity for the month of December.

Proceeds will benefit The Chloe Belle Foundation, a Northport-based charity that has the mission of bringing joy to children and young adults who are fighting cancer. The restaurant, located at 313 Main Street, is donating $5 of every takeout pizza pie sold, starting at $14.95, or every family meal deal sold at $34.95. The three-item family meal deals feed four to five people and give customers choices on salads, pastas and entrees.

Vico's commitment to the community led to a fundraiser for the family of Gina Pellettiere, the beloved Farmingdale High School marching band leader who died in a bus crash on Sept. 21. Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa, and Bea Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, a retired teacher who chaperoned the annual band camp trip to Greeley, Pennsylvania, were killed when the bus they were on crashed and tumbled down a 50-foot ravine in Orange County.

"Inspired to do more, I discovered The Chloe Belle Foundation, where I learned that the family is from my hometown of Northport, and her family has played a crucial role in sustaining this charity," said Perry Fortuna, co-owner and manager of Vico. "After thorough research, the Vico family unanimously agreed to contribute to a charity dedicated to brightening the lives of cancer warriors through various initiatives, including toy drives, care packages, and fundraising for essential needs like oncology funds, cancer research, and their innovative project, "Chloe’s Beach Buggies."'

Click here to learn more about The Chloe Belle Foundation through a Q&A.

The Chloe Belle Foundation is currently running its annual holiday toy drive, where all toys and crafts purchased off this Amazon wishlist will go to those fighting cancer in the pediatric wards of New York-Presbyterian's Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health. The deadline to purchase toys is Dec. 13.

Vico customers' support from Dec. 1 through Dec. 12 will benefit the foundation's toy drive. From Dec. 13 through Dec. 31, the eatery's donations will support the foundation's mission of helping and bringing joy to people with cancer, with a focus on children and young adults, including its current goal of manufacturing a beach wheelchair to donate to one of the largest beach wheelchair programs in the country in Chloe's memory.

People can order Vico's takeout deals online or by calling 516-875-8426.

Remi Lindberg, president of The Chloe Belle Foundation, said she is "overwhelmed with gratitude" for everyone at Vico for offering to partner with the foundation.

"Without financial donations, we would not be able to do anything," Lindberg said. "When you donate to The Chloe Belle Foundation, you are directly funding the care package sent to a child in the hospital or to the cause/organization we are funding for at that moment. All of our donors are The Chloe Belle Foundation. It is so special to us when someone donates because it means we can continue the foundation. It literally means everything."

Perry and his father, Joe Fortuna, are co-owners of Vico. The family also operates 317 Main Street and The Nutty Irishman. Chef Eric LeVine is a managing partner at both Vico and 317 Main Street. LeVine was named Chef of the Year on Long Island in the 2023 Bethpage Best of Long Island Awards.

"There are no words to express how much it means to us that Vico believes in our mission and has chosen us to support," Lindberg said. "We're so thankful to the owners, staff and patrons of Vico for bringing The Chloe Belle Foundation into your wonderful restaurant. We want them to know how much it means to us. We know that Vico is a beloved part of the community and we are truly honored to be working with them."

The Chloe Belle Foundation was created in honor of Chloe Lindberg, a Northport resident who was only 26 when she died of acute myeloid leukemia in January 2021. She fought the cancer for 13 months after she was diagnosed at age 25.

The foundation plans to purchase as many toys and gift cards as possible with Vico's donation through Dec. 12. The money raised for the rest of the month will be split equally between care packages and gifts for children and young adults diagnosed with cancer and the charity's current fundraiser for a beach wheelchair under the Chloe's Beach Buggies sector of the foundation.

The non-profit aims to manufacture special beach wheelchairs for people with mobility issues or paralysis because of cancer and other health-related issues. This was inspired by Chloe, who loved the beach and was paralyzed from her neck down by her chemotherapy treatments when her leukemia spread to her spine. The wheelchairs will be donated for people to use for free.

The current fundraiser is for the foundation's first wheelchair, which will go to the Long Beach Township Beachwheels Program in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, which is one of the largest beach wheelchair programs in the country, according to Lindberg.

"We hope through our partnership with Vico, that we can meet our goal and that we can provide more care packages in this upcoming new year!" she said.