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Date: 12/9/2020
WEST SPRINGFIELD – During a “Giving Tuesday” event on Dec. 1, Pintu’s Indian Palace provided meals for approximately 40 families from the West Springfield Boys & Girls Club.
Sarah Calabrese, the resource development director at the Boys & Girls Club, told Reminder Publishing that this particular plan was initially jumpstarted by a collaboration between Pintu’s owner Pintu Chawla, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
“Tito’s wanted to do something charitable in the West Springfield community,” said Calabrese. “And with Pintu’s assistance, he was able to prepare meals for families, and Tito’s is actually covering the cost of the meals.”
According to Calabrese, Tito’s provides a donation match of up to $2,500, and the Boys & Girls Club was able to raise over $2,500 prior to the “Giving Tuesday” event.
“Any donations that came in, those helped us get that match, and then also went to our Change a Child’s Future Campaign,” said Calabrese.
Families from the Boys & Girls Club were allowed to pick up to-go meals at the Pintu’s location. These meals included Chawla’s “famous Chicken Tikka Marsala”– which Chawla describes as the “lobster version of Indian food,” as well as pasta and meatballs to go with it.
“It is a tomato cream sauce with Indian barbecue-style chicken tenders,” said Chawla. “We served rice, and we also made a homemade bread for them.”
The size of the families who came to pick up food varied, according to Chawla. There were 10 families of five, 10 families of four, six families of six, one family of seven, and approximately 14 families of two or three, Chawla said.
“Pintu’s Indian Restaurant really exemplifies the true meaning of a kind and generous neighbor,” said Calabrese. “Pintu just always goes the extra mile, especially when it comes to giving back to the community.”
Calabrese also stated how excited she was to partner with Tito’s for community events such as these, and commended their generosity towards the Boys & Girls Club.
“Something like a warm and nutritious meal during these challenging times from Pintu’s, can really help to turn someone’s day around,” said Calabrese. “These small acts of kindness just mean the world to all of our families.”
Chawla admitted that the West Springfield community has seen some ups and downs during his 20-plus years working and the city, and said that part of his job as a businessman is to see what is going on throughout the community.
“My initial insight was, I see people struggling,” said Chawla. “I see that there is a family of three in a car, and they are getting $4 of gas. That breaks my heart.”
When it comes to having a general perspective on the community, Chawla said that he always remembers when he came to this country with $100, and is now blessed with what he currently has. He believes that education and good nourishment would change the world.
“I always think about yesterday, and what I was,” said Chawla. “If everyone gave 10 percent of whatever they can, the world would be different.”
Chawla also continues to give back to the community in a variety of other ways. For Thanksgiving, Pintu’s gave out whole turkeys, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and apple pie for those in need. Around 60 families participated in that. He plans to do something similar for Christmas.
“And now my next project is the day before Christmas, we are going to do some roasting and some good stuff for Christmas, so people can have a nice Christmas dinner,” said Chawla. “Especially in this pandemic, where some people cannot travel to their cousins or friends. That is what my plan is this year.”