Farmingdale's Vico Donates $1,250 To The Chloe Belle Foundation
FARMINGDALE, NY — Vico Costiera Amalfitana, an Italian restaurant in Farmingdale, donated $1,250 to The Chloe Belle Foundation, a cancer charity in Northport, after a month-long fundraiser in December.
Vico, at 313 Main Street, donated $5 of every pizza or family meal package sold, giving the foundation funding for its beach wheelchair program and care packages.
The Chloe Belle Foundation was created in honor of Chloe Lindberg, a Northport resident who was only 26 when she died of acute myeloid leukemia in January 2021. She fought the cancer for 13 months after she was diagnosed at age 25. The foundation’s mission is bringing joy to children and young adults fighting cancer.
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Perry Fortuna, owner of Vico, said the fundraiser went “super smooth” and only wishes the restaurant was busier toward the holidays so it could have donated more.
“Me and my team, we get excitement when we hear the news, and there are tears in everyone’s eyes when I tell them the numbers we’re beating and how much money we’ve raised,” Fortuna told Patch. “When we do this, it makes everyone feel like this is a special place; more like a community restaurant.”
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Fortuna said the Lindberg family is from the same town as him and he was in the same graduation class as Chloe. Remi, Chloe’s older sister and president of The Chloe Belle Foundation, was “really sweet,” Fortuna said.
Remi, in an Instagram post on the foundation’s account, said her family is “forever grateful” to everyone at Vico, including all the customers and staff.
“This will significantly impact the start of our 2024 year as it will give us the ability to send even more care packages and further contribute to the development of Chloe’s Beach Buggies!” she wrote on Instagram.
Chloe’s Beach Buggies is an offshoot of The Chloe Belle Foundation that focuses on manufacturing and donating custom beach wheelchairs. The Lindberg family is using its experience of caretaking for Chloe, who became immobile and paralyzed because of her cancer, and designing a beach wheelchair to be comfortable, convenient, durable and stylish for both the person in it and the person pushing it.
The beach buggy was inspired by Chloe, who loved the beach and could no longer experience its beauty in the same way after she became sick and later paralyzed, Remi said.
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Fortuna said it was “awesome” that the restaurant helped fund a wheelchair simply by making food.
Vico plans to work with The Chloe Belle Foundation again this coming December, Fortuna said. He wants to help the foundation with its annual holiday toy drive.
The restaurant also plans to support another charity soon, likely in March or April, Fortuna said.
Fortuna thanked the Farmingdale community and everyone else who supported Vico’s fundraiser for The Chloe Belle Foundation.
“I feel like that’s the reason a lot of people started hearing about us, was because of Feeding Farmingdale and then The Chloe Belle Foundation,” Fortuna said. “They helped us raise all this money. It’s really thanks to them. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Perry and his father, Joe Fortuna, are co-owners of Vico. The family also operates 317 Main Street and The Nutty Irishman. Vico serves up personal pizzas, pasta dishes and other entrees and appetizers inspired directly by cuisine from the Amalfi Coast of Vico Equense in Italy, where the Fortunas have family. The restaurant also serves takeout pizza pies and family meal deals that it used to raise money for The Chloe Belle Foundation.
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