Bocca Italian Bistro is well known in Boone for their authentic Italian cuisine, serving everything from their legendary handmade pasta using fresh semolina flour and love, to the cheesecakes of the day featuring quality ingredients. But when Hurricane Helene tore through the community last month, Bocca Bistro’s owners really stepped up to feed first responders and the community.
After the winds and water tore through town, stores and restaurants around Bocca Bistro flooded or damaged, but Bocca Bistro was spared from the destruction. Paul and Marie felt fortunate that the storm bypassed them and wanted to do something to help their neighbors who had lost so much.
“On the day of the hurricane, Walmart was underwater,” said Marie Russo. “A lot of people lost power, water. They were coming in to get food and water, to get cleaned up in our bathrooms. We fed a lot of linemen and first responders. We went to every firehouse we could and get to and provided meals.”
Maria said they set up a buffet in their dining room and let all first responders eat for free and housed “a bunch” of their employees who lost their homes during the storm.
“We just saw the need in our community. We can’t survive without our locals. People have to understand that this could have easily happened to us. Financially it’s a lot, but we just wanted to help. We are just very grateful that we have the means to help.”
Bocca Bistro’s owners found other ways to help the community with their experience in the food industry.
“We worked with our food vendors (Sysco of Charlotte) and Harris Teeter to donate the food. We’ve done things with (High Country Caregivers) before and the partnership just fit. We’ve given them turkeys for thanksgiving, made dinners and supported other events.”
High Country Caregivers is a local nonprofit that provides advocacy, support and education for children being raised by their grandparents and other caregivers. Jacob Willis, Executive Director of High Country Caregivers, credits Paul Russo with his ability to feed and support the children and their grandparents during the rebuilding.
“A lot of our families are cut off from fresh meats and produce because their grocery stores and places they buy food are still closed,” Willis said. “The meat he is providing is a lifeline for these folks.”
Paul Russo travelled with Willis to Mitchell County to deliver the meat himself on Nov. 8 and to find out for himself what need was out there.
“(Paul) was a firecracker,” Willis said. “He came back from that trip asking what else he could do to help us feed our families.”
Marie Russo said that her husband was deeply affected by the state of the community on his trip out to Mitchell and Yancey Counties. “He was moved by what he saw. He took videos and sent them back to our staff to see. There’s a lot of damage here in Boone, but he said to me, “I just can’t believe what I’m seeing here.’”
After Paul Russo’s visit to the most affected areas of the High Country, he worked with Sysco of Charlotte to provide 1,000 pounds of food per week to the families of High Country Caregivers. Willis said that each family receives at least twenty pounds of chicken and ten pounds of beef or precooked meat.
“You just never know what life has in store for you,” Marie Russo said. “One day you’re living a seemingly perfect life, and then disaster happens hits and you lose everything. It really makes you put things in perspective what happened. I’m just glad we were in the position to help.”
For those who would like to learn more about High Country Caregivers or assist with their mission, visit their website at www.highcountrycaregivers.org or call (828)832-6366.
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