Joe and Rosanne Vitale and their 10-year-old daughter, Emma, created Emma’s Hope sauce, which has raised $20,000 for Hope Network and autism support.
An image of Emma appears on every container of the marinara, meat, pesto and Alfredo sauces.
Photo provided by Mike Scott
Advertisement
SHELBY TOWNSHIP — A local family is receiving an award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Detroit Chapter as part of National Philanthropy Day activities for a sauce they are selling in partnership with a Shelby Township business to raise funds for autism charities.
The sauce, called “Emma’s Hope,” has raised $20,000 for Hope Network and autism support thanks to Rochester Hills residents Joe and Rosanne Vitale and their 10-year-old daughter, Emma.
Eddie Murray, the director of donor relations at Hope Network, said the idea for the sauce was a partnership between the family and Vince & Joe’s in Shelby Township.
“Emma’s Hope sauce came out of the idea from Rose Biondo, the former marketing director for Vince & Joe’s. The Vitale family were looking for ways to support Hope Network’s autism program, and Rose and Chef Angelo came up with Emma’s Hope sauce to raise money for Hope Network,” said Murray.
The pasta sauce brand is named after Emma, the granddaughter of Joe Vitale Sr., one of the store’s founders.
“Discovering and accepting the fact your child has autism is one of the scariest, most uncertain times a family can experience,” said Rosanne Vitale. “The future is unknown. My husband and I feel so deeply for families in the beginning stages; we remember the pain all too well. My family wanted to help make these times a little easier for other families. Intervention and quality therapy is crucial in the early years and throughout that child’s life. We are happy to play a role in helping families have one less worry with finding adequate therapies.”
The family chose the sauce because that is Emma’s favorite food. They also decided to do the sauce because they felt this was a food that everyone loves.
Emma’s Hope has been one of the featured brands of sauces at the southeastern Michigan locations of Vince & Joe’s Gourmet Market since 2018. Many customers might not realize the strong connection the Emma’s Hope brand has to Hope Network, one of Michigan’s largest nonprofits that supports autism services.
Ten percent of the proceeds of every container of Emma’s Hope goes to fund autism services and support through Hope Network. The cost of the sauces varies.
“Rose Biondo, our former marketing director, and Elisa Vitale both agreed this item would generate the most money for the donation. It is one of our best-selling items,” said Rosanne.
Elisa Vitale, Rosanne’s sister, said they wanted to do something to bring more awareness to children with autism.
“Rose and I wanted to find a product in the store that we could promote for customers to purchase and give a portion of the sales to Hope Network. Rose thought of our famous Vince & Joe’s sauces. Rose then wanted to have Emma’s face on the sauces. So she worked with a local artist who came up with our … Emma’s sauce label,” said Elisa.
The image of Emma that appears on every container of the marinara, meat, pesto, and Alfredo sauces was created by well known Michigan artist Mark Bonanni, while the sauces themselves were created by renowned Vince & Joe’s Chef Angelo Loria.
“I see what my sister-in-law and brother-in-law go through. So I got together with our marketing director, Rose Biondo, who has recently passed away. I told her I wanted to try to find an organization for autism that we could help raise money for. Rose did a lot of research and found a Hope Network,” she said.
Emma’s Hope sauce is going into its third year of support. Proceeds help the early diagnosis autism programs at Hope Network.
“Emma’s Hope sauce has been a great way to support the autism program at Hope Network, plus the patrons of Vince & Joe’s get to take advantage of fresh pasta sauces to use,” said Murray.
The family decided to donate to Hope Network because they admired the company’s dedication to mental health, autism and other disabilities. Hope Network is based in Grand Rapids, and Emma’s Hope plays a small role in helping it expand its therapies to southeast Michigan.
“Joe and I wanted to do this to give families hope. This was our main goal when the idea first came to us. We want parents to know that these children are blessings. They are amazing in so many ways. Autism is not the end. The beginning is very scary, but it does get easier. Emma has changed us for the better in so many ways. She has taught us so much about life and we are so grateful she is our daughter. Hope is the reason we began this journey with the Hope Network. Hope is the message behind Emma’s Hope sauce,” said Rosanne.
She said that if they’ve even helped one family go through what Joe and her went through when Emma was 3 years old, that gives her so much satisfaction.
“To help other people and make this journey easier for another family makes it worthwhile to me,” she said.
All the sauces are made on-site at Vince & Joe’s locations in Clinton Township and Shelby Township and can be purchased at either the Clinton Township or Shelby Township locations of Vince & Joe’s or by visiting www.vinceand joes.com.
“We are so proud and humbled to be affiliated with a community with such a long history in providing for people with mental disabilities and autism. We are looking forward to maintaining this partnership, connecting with other families touched by autism and making a difference in these kids’ lives for many years to come,” said Rosanne.
Advertisement
"Sauce" - Google News
December 08, 2020 at 03:18AM
https://ift.tt/3goiqas
Family raises $20,000 with sauce to benefit autism support network - C&G Newspapers
"Sauce" - Google News
https://ift.tt/35DSBgW
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Family raises $20,000 with sauce to benefit autism support network - C&G Newspapers"
Post a Comment