When you hit the bars on Allen Street this weekend, bring more than just your thirst for good music and drinks. Grab a box of pasta as you run out the door.
On Saturday, patrons of businesses on Allen Street are invited to contribute to the first Angel Hair for the Hungry: The Allen Street Pasta Drive to benefit the Food Bank of Western New York. Organizers hope that as patrons enjoy a night out on the town, they think of those forced to spend a night out on the streets without access to meals.
Establishments including Allen Street Hardware Café, The Bend, DBGB, Holly Farms, Mulligan's Brick Bar, Nietzsche's, The Old Pink, and Sample are participating, and some offer discounts to those donating uncooked pasta.
"We wanted to do something different that wasn't cliché," said Jeff Garbacz, organizer of the drive. "And we came up with pasta."
The effort began with Nietzsche's.
Garbacz, an internationally renowned visual artist, has been doing shows with Blouses for the Holy, a Led Zeppelin tribute band, at Nietzsche's for 10 years. He realized that the draw of a popular musical event could be more than simply a lucrative enterprise for businesses.
"I figured that as long as I'm having an annual event [the show at Nietzsche's], I might as well collect donations," Garbacz said.
The drive is sponsored by Chef's Restaurant, Santasiero's Restaurant, and Insty Prints and has been announced by 97 Rock. The support of "big name" organizations has bolstered the project's visibility, according to Garbacz.
"Once they came aboard, we said, ‘Hey, if they like it, other people probably will as well,'" Garbacz said. "The project gained a life of its own."
Involving other Allen Street businesses was the next logical step.
"They thought it was a great idea," Garbacz said of the business managers. "Just one phone call is all it took. We never had any resistance from anybody. They just said ‘sure.'"
Working together for the common good is part of being a Buffalonian, according to Keri Lock, a program assistant.
"You're making a group effort and working with other people," Lock said. "As a donator, it becomes bigger than yourself."
Lock also said the project goals extend past merely collecting food and embrace a mission of awareness.
"When it comes to hunger, I think there are very few of us who actually have that experience involuntarily in our lives," Lock said. "We might miss lunch or something, but experiencing true hunger, where you don't have the option to eat and have to rely on charity, it's such a poignant thing."
Lock said that the owners and managers of the participating establishments are "really excited" to be included in the effort, a thought that employees echo.
"Nietzsche's is very proud to be a part of this," said Valerie, a bartender. "We've been in this area for 30-plus years. We're embedded in Allentown and because we're such a woven part of this neighborhood, it's very special to be involved."
She emphasized the deep commitment that Nietzsche's has to supporting individuals in the community who need help, calling the bar a "safe haven" for those in need.
"That's how we want to be. That's how we will remain," Valerie said.
Lock said she believes that when the passion of young music lovers and those running businesses on Allen Street combines with increased awareness of a social issue in Buffalo, "good things will happen for the community."
"I think people in [Western New York] have good hearts and always want to contribute something," Lock said. "And we make it really easy."
Garbacz hopes that the anticipated success of the drive will lead to an expanded effort in following years. In addition to donating to the Food Bank, he would like to partner with organizations in the immediate Allentown area, such as Friends of Night People, a charitable organization that helps the poor.
For now, however, Garbacz is content to draw on the charitable spirit of those on Allen Street. The globetrotting artist has worked in clubs in Europe, Las Vegas, California, Miami, and New York City, to name only several places.
"Of all those places, Nietzsche's has always been my favorite place in the whole world," Garbacz said.
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
