The owners of Vittorio’s, Vanessa Pellegrini Henriques (left), Mercedes Pellegrini, and Sabrina Pellegrini Kalaydjian. Photo: Levi Langen
An annual Christmas tradition is Vittorio’s Toy Drive and Luncheon, which benefits about 100 children, who might not otherwise receive a present.
Partners Claris Health, The Sons of the American Legion, and The Golden Bull are joining the endeavor this year, and residents are invited to bring a new unwrapped gift to Vittorio’s at Canyon Square, 169 W. Channel Road, prior to Saturday, Dec. 12. In addition, people can donate by buying a gift on the drive’s Amazon registry.
The annual event began after Vanessa Pellegrini Henriques, who co-owns Vittorio’s with her mother, Mercedes Pellegrini and her sister, Sabrina Pellegrini Kalaydjian, was diagnosed with CNS (central nervous system) lupus in December 2010 and hospitalized for two weeks.
“We weren’t sure I was going to pull through, since the disease was attacking the blood vessels in my brain,” Henriques said. “My mother, being a devout Catholic, prayed to Nossa Senhora de Aparecida in Brazil. She performs miracles, according to local legend, and so my mother prayed.”
Her mother’s prayers seemed to be answered as after a few weeks of intensive care in the hospital, her daughter was well enough to return home.
“As an offering, we both promised to give back to the less fortunate children, who are innocent and often times are the victims of circumstance,” Henriques said. “I had worked with School on Wheels since 1999, and I was intimately involved with kids who were living in abused homes, homeless shelters, and transitory houses. These were the children that were forgotten, and so, the Holiday Luncheon was born.”
(Circling the News contributed to this article)
