Mark Gasbarro, president of Gasbarro’s Wines on Atwells Avenue in Providence, announced today the Seventh Annual Wine Tasting to benefit the American Cancer Society. Along with the fine Italian wines that are Gasbarro’s signature, and the outstanding wines from California and Australia, this year’s event will also feature wines from Argentina and Spain. In all there will be more than 100 wines to sample and enjoy. Once again, the silent auction, with items designed to appeal to wine connoisseurs, will be fun and exciting with even more items. Again this year, 100 percent of all proceeds go directly to the American Cancer Society. Close to $250,000 has been raised to benefit the American Cancer Society.
This year’s event will be held on Monday, May 11 at the Westin Providence, One West Exchange St. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and concludes at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person. RSVP’s are due by May 4. Tickets are available by visiting Gasbarro’s at 361 Atwells Avenue in Providence; the American Cancer Society at 931 Jefferson Blvd, Suite 3004 in Warwick (401) 243-2600; Dugan Jewelers, 164 Main Street, East Greenwich (401) 884-6800; or by calling Mark at (401) 421-4170.
The event was originally created by Gasbarro and his family to honor their late father Lombard, who died in July 2002 of lung cancer. Gasbarro Liquors was founded in 1898 and Lombard started working in the family liquor store in 1954 when he was just 14 years old. Over the years he specialized in small production wines from Italy and built a strong reputation for importing some of the best Italian wines that could be found. Today, the store offers more than 900 specialty labels alone.
“This is an event that is very important to me and my family,” said Mark Gasbarro, a 2006 recipient of the Sandra C. Labaree Volunteer Value Award. Gasbarro has vowed to raise his personal goal of $1 million for the Society. “It’s a salute to my father and if in the next ten to fifteen years I can raise enough money to help find a cure for this disease so that another family does not have to go through this, it would be worth it. This event is growing tremendously every year. I have people asking me about it all year long. The interest and anticipation is amazing. It has truly become a premiere tasting event.”
The American Cancer Society helps patients and their families with free information, support, and local resources. Cancer information specialists are available by phone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help with diagnosis and treatment options, find rides to treatment, or answer insurance questions. If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
