Desaki Movie Nights Benefit COVID Relief
Desaki Restaurant and the Sherman Theater have created summer drivein movie nights to benefit the East Stroudsburg Salvation Army and the Pocono Mountains United Way. Due to the unprecedented impact that Covid-19 has had on the community and the many organizations that serve those in need, Vincent Trapasso, owner of Desaki said, “So many people have needed to seek help during this time of pandemic. They look to our local organizations such as the Salvation Army and United Way for that help, putting a tremendous strain on those support organizations. Between not being able to host their usual fund-raising events, and the exponential increase in demand, we recognized we needed to do something to help them raise money.”
He continues, “Rich Berkowitz and the Sherman Theater are always doing outdoor events and have the equipment. We have the parking lot and food. We put them together to create summer-long movie nights every Wednesday and Thursday to raise money for these organizations.”
Movie nights begin on July 1st with the showing of “Grease” and July 2nd with “Toy Story.” The cost is $60 per carload which includes a $30 food voucher good for car-side delivery from the Desaki menu. 20% of all food sales and half the admission price will benefit the non-profits. Movie nights will run through July and August.
Gilbert Parkhurst, Commanding Officer of the East Stroudsburg Salvation Army comments, “During these stressful times of COVID, it is nice to get out with your family, have a meal and watch a movie under the stars. Because of our dedicated staff and the generosity of our community, we have been able to serve our one millionth meal to those in need. The expenses related to providing that food and taking care of our on-going shelter and housing assistance have been staggering. Thanks to the Pocono Mountains United Way, government funding, local foundations and individual donors, we have been able to just barely keep up. With the cancellation of our public fund-raising events, we will be up against a $150,000 shortfall in funding.”
Parkhurst concludes, “We are deeply thankful for the generosity of the Trapasso family and Rich Berkowitz in putting this event together in a great time of need. It is just one more example of how our community has come together in crisis, and how fortunate we are to be surrounded by business owners who are constantly supporting our area nonprofits.”
Reservations are required and can be made at desakirestaurant.com where you will find information about the event and upcoming movies, Desaki’s menu and directions. Desaki is located on Rt. 611 in Swiftwater, PA.