A beloved restaurant in Auburn that burned in a strip mall fire last month received a generous gift from Valley Professional Firefighters on Tuesday. The union bought $1000 worth of gift cards at Athens Pizza and Pasta House.
"Just overwhelmed. I'm not used to receiving this kind of attention and humbled by the great city of Auburn," said Athens Pizza and Pasta House owner Bill Contoravdis. The president of Valley Professional Firefighters, Ryan Freed, adds, "I feel really good that we're able to do that. We all came together and we're able to be there for them."
It was just one of many outpourings of support the Contoravdis family received from the community after a fire damaged the roof of their restaurant and four other businesses in December.
"GMC had a fundraiser for us, the fire authority is having a fundraiser for us, Randy at Auburn Valley Barber Shop had a fundraiser for us," said the owner's wife Nina Contoravdis.