Annie’s Kitchen Lends a Hand to Rotary in its Support of Hand Help, Inc.

Cindy Vanacore, owner of Annie’s Kitchen Restaurant on Quinnipiac Avenue in the Montowese section of North Haven, believes in helping others. After renovating the former AJ’s Restaurant and opening her doors in the fall, she has extended a helping hand to others in need in a variety of ways. Her latest show of community support involved hosting the North Haven Rotary Club’s Fellowship Night on March 14th featuring a St. Patrick’s Day theme complete with corned beef and cabbage, as well as a number of her Italian specialties. Not only was the expense at a considerable savings to the club, but the service and food were excellent.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the club’s annual donation to Hand Help, Inc., a volunteer medical mission at Yale-New Haven Hospital leaving March 16th for San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The club’s International Service Chairman, Jonathan Martinek, North Haven’s 2012 Rotarian of the Year, made the presentation. Accepting the check for Dr. Grant Thompson, Professor of Hand and Microsurgery, who leads the annual charitable journey, was John Tangredi, a retired nurse from Yale-New Haven who has been the head nurse for the hospital’s volunteer medical missions, coordinating all the materials necessary for trips overseas. 

In addition to Hand Help, Tangredi coordinates other mission trips such as cataract surgery in Vietnam, Thailand, and many others. Although retired, he continues to volunteer his services as medical mission coordinator/head nurse.  The resident of Wallingford is the brother of Mariann Sharp, General Manager of Master’s Manna, Inc., yet another recipient of past Rotary support.

The eight day trip to San Pedro Sula, one of the poorest and most violent cities in the world, involves a team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, medical students and physical therapists who have performed surgery for congenital deformities as well as injuries from farm work and wounds suffered due to the extreme violence (knife and machete wounds) for the past 13 years. For the last 5 years, the North Haven Rotary Club has been assisting the volunteer effort with financial and logistical support. Although the mercy mission is valued at over a half million dollars, costs run about $25,000 due to donated services and materials.