Couple auctions off trip to Italy for Habitat for Humanity after eating at Ynot Italian for decade
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A local couple is auctioning off a free trip to Italy — all for a good cause.
The duo works for Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads, and after having eaten so many meals at Ynot Italian in Virginia Beach that they accrued enough points to take a free trip, they decided to raise money for Habitat, rather than taking the trip themselves.
Frank Hruska is a Navy vet and said he and his wife, Diane, have traveled all over, so instead, they want someone else to enjoy the trip, all while raising money for a good cause.
The Hruskas say they’ve eaten at Ynot Italian at least once a week for almost two decades now.
They say table 11 and 17 at the Y-Not on Providence Road in Virginia Beach feel like their dining room table!
“You get to know the waitresses and the waitstaff and the cooks and the owners and becomes a family,” Frank Hruska said. “So you’re not going out to eat, you’re just going out to eat with your extended family.”
14 years ago the local restaurant chain started a rewards program where you could earn points for every dollar you spend.
Through the family rewards program program, you get free pizzas or a free dinner for four, but if you keep going until you reach 50,000 points, you get a 6-day, all expenses paid trip to Naples.
“It just accumulated and somehow over 10 years we got over 30,000 points, and then it became a life of its own,” Frank said. “And then we got over 40,000, it became a more of a like, ‘Oh my God, we can do this.'”
They say instead of going on the trip themselves, they want to auction it off to benefit Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads.
“It all stays here in Hampton Roads and that money is going to be used to build a house for someone or fix a home for someone,” Frank said.
Habitat helps build new homes for low income families who have jobs, and they also a home repair program. Habitat has built more than 245 homes in their three decades here in Hampton Roads, with five more planned in the next year.
“We want to help people buying homes with a hand up, not a hand out,” said Frank.
They say when they first joined the rewards program, they didn’t set out with the trip to Italy on their minds, but now they’re happy they can use it to give back to a great cause.
Y-Not Owner, Harry DiSilvestro, says Frank and Diane are their first winners! He says he wasn’t surprised about their plan to auction it off for a good cause.
“I thought it was a great idea and it had a lot of synergy for what we do outside with the community,” DiSilvestro said. “It’s a joy to partner with people like that to have same minded people in the community as us.”
DiSilvestro says it aligns with the family values they founded their restaurant on.
“We meet these people that come in here, I have employees now that I’m hiring that came in here in baby carriers and now they’re they’re working for us or their parents met here and they had babies and we’re hiring their kids now,” DiSilvestro said.
They’re planning to sell 2,000 tickets at $20 each, so in total, they’ll raise $40,000 to donate back to Habitat. They started selling the tickets a few days ago, and they’ve already sold more than 500 tickets.
And if the Hruska’s can win a free trip to Italy – Y NOT you?
“Y Not Italian is a wonderful place for family to come for dinner, but what’s more important is when that family can go home to a safe, decent affordable house,” said Frank.
“A free ticket trip to Italy is great, but at the same time, you’re also doing something great for our community in Hampton Roads and to help someone you know who’s in need of some housing,” said DiSilvestro. “I mean, so that $20 is going to go a long way.”
If you’d like to enter, click here or you can also get the link to enter at your local Y Not Italian location.
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