The community rallied in a big way Saturday to support Riley’s Pour House employees displaced by a fire that destroyed the Carnegie landmark last month.
Seven minutes after the doors of the Carnegie Fraternal Order of Eagles opened for the spaghetti fundraiser, the place was already packed.
More than 1,600 meals were served and $49,627 was raised for Riley’s 29 employees. Twenty-five-thousand of those dollars were raised in the first two-and-a-half hours. A silent auction of sports memorabilia, coupled with 105 auction baskets and various raffles helped contribute to the cause.
“It just warms your heart… People care about the staff, they care about us and they have a strong sentiment. They want us to rebuild.”
– Joe Riley, owner Riley’s Pour House
Organizer Ryan Vassar Busch was excited, but not surprised by, the turnout. “I know that Carnegie’s such a close knit group I’m not shocked at all by the turnout. It’s a small town community that would give the shirt off their back to anybody,” he said.
Busch worked as a security guard for the Pour House before a near fatal car crash in 2022 left him unemployed. Riley’s held a fundraiser for him after the accident, so Busch wanted to return the favor.
Owner Joe Riley was pleased by the outpouring of support.
“It just warms your heart. When you have a business, you want to connect with your customers, you want your staff to engage, and this is a sign that that was definitely taking place. People care about the staff, they care about us and they have a strong sentiment. They want us to rebuild,” he said.
Although Riley doesn’t have anything concrete to report yet, the Pour House plans to rebuild and has already started going through that process.
The Nov. 14 fire originated in the kitchen with an operating kitchen appliance, and remains under investigation. No one was hurt.
Emergency response to the blaze was provided by 24 different fire departments including the West Hills volunteer companies of Carnegie, Crafton, Kennedy, Moon, Robinson, Moon Run and Stowe.
As for the money raised at the spaghetti dinner, Busch’s goal is to get it into the pockets of Riley’s employees by the end of the weekend to help get them through the upcoming holidays.
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