On Saturday, hundreds of people filed through the door at Pleasant View in Somers to eat some great chili and help out a great cause.
Organizer Michael Freedman said that between 700 and 1,000 people came to the chili cook off that benefited the Sandy Hook Fire Department.
According to Freedman, 35 chili cooks participated in the event and $7,000 was raised. First responders from Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, including Somers, Ellington, Vernon, Manchester, Stafford, and East Longmeadow, were in attendance. First responders from Poughkeepsie, NY were chili cooks at the event.
Several special guests were on hand at the event, including State Rep. Penny Bacchiochi and Somers First Selectwoman Lisa Pellegrini. The highlight of the day for many was the arrival of several firefighters from Sandy Hook.
“This was one of our proudest moments,” Freedman said after the event. “What a day. Standing up there with the Sandy Hook Fire Department was an incredible feeling.”
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Bacchiochi thanked everyone for coming out and said that being there to raise money for a cause that breaks our hearts made it that much more meaningful to be there.
“We’re proud to come together and raise money in memory of those lives that were lost in Newtown and for the first responders,” she said. “I know there are so many first responders here today and collectively, I say, ‘Thank you for what you do.’”
Pellegrini thanked Freedman for putting together another great event for a great cause.
“Every time we need you, every time something needs to be done, you’re there to step up,” she said. “We just really, really appreciate it.”
She also thanked all the cooks and the people who came out to support the event.
“When horrible things happen, it’s good to know that the town of Somers rallies behind those who need help the most,” Pellegrini said. “It’s a horrible thing that happened, but I want Newtown to know that we’re in their corner.”
Winners:
Salsa:
3rd- Mario Saccoccio, Enfield, CT
2nd-Isaiah Frechette, Ellington, CT
1st- Scott Navaroli, Southboro, MA (who won by almost double the points the 2nd place bowl got!)
Verde:
3rd- Ian McDaid, Tolland, CT
2nd- Anne Marie Malone, CT
1st- Dean Harvey, Topsfield, MA
Red:
3rd- Matt Levy, Baltimore, MD
2nd- Isaiah Frechette, Ellington, CT
1st- Cindy Lovell, Watkins Glen, NY
