Business - Village Pizzeria holds benefit for breast cancer

It’s now a place to go to support the fight against a disease that touches so many people worldwide.

On June 19, a wine tasting benefit was held in support of co-owner Sandra Foster and her team of five other women who will be taking part in Avon’s New York Walk for Breast Cancer in October. Throughout the year, there are walks in the Rocky Mountains, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Houston, Washington D.C., Boston and Chicago.

Foster, a seven-year breast cancer survivor, will be joined by her daughter, Jessica Mancione, as well as Lisa Leggiero, April Mangini, Patricia Mangini, also a cancer survivor, and thousands of other walkers on October 4 and 5. The walk will take place on the streets of Manhattan and will cover 39 miles over two days. Participants are required to raise $1,800 to participate in the walk, and this is Foster’s third year walking with her team called “Toast to the Tata’s.”

“The walk is very inspirational to everyone touched by cancer. It’s great to see so many people come together to support people’s trials and tribulations of cancer. It’s simply amazing,” she said.

Of the more than 4,000 walkers in last year’s Manhattan walk, only 395 were breast cancer survivors, Foster said.

“It was so heartwarming to see how many people were walking in honor and memory of others. There really was a sense if camaraderie at the event,” she said.

In order to raise the $1,800 for each member, Foster is holding wine tastings and silent auctions at The Village Pizzeria.

“The first one went really well. To date we’ve raised $4,500 to go towards the walk and breast cancer research,” she said. “It was a big success due to the support of our friends, customers, distributers and donators of items to the silent auction. I really want to thank all of them and I am looking forward to the next one for those who couldn’t make it this time and welcome back our loyal supporters who attend all of our events.”

She added that last year she raised more than $10,000 with her team. This year, she has set her team’s goal at $20,000.

There are three wine tastings and auctions left. They will take place on July 28, August 18 and September 19 and admission to the event costs $35.

This is not the first time she has used her restaurant as a venue to raise money and awareness for her cause. She has her own line of pasta sauces that she sells and donates a portion to research and has been spreading the word about breast cancer to her customers.

“When I was diagnosed more than seven years ago, I didn’t know anyone who had breast cancer, aside from older women. It just wasn’t talked about then. I used the restaurant to begin shouting out loud about it. I made it my mission,” she said. “I never took the attitude of ‘whoa is me.’ I became empowered to begin talking about it and telling every woman I saw to get checked, because you never know.”