Spaghetti dinner scheduled to help Vandergrift family who lost home to fire

Nov. 09--A spaghetti dinner has been scheduled to help a Vandergrift family who lost their home and all their possessions in a fire Wednesday.

The benefit for the Hooks family will be held from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2 at the Markle Volunteer Fire Department, 470 Joyce St., Allegheny Township public safety Director Lee Schumaker said Friday.

The cost will be $10 per plate. All proceeds will go to the Hooks family, Schumaker said.

A suspected electrical fire destroyed Rich and Catherine Hooks' home on La Bellevue Road, along the border of the Vandergrift and Allegheny Township, Wednesday morning. Rich Hooks is a life member of the Markle fire department, and had been an active volunteer firefighter for nearly 40 years.

They shared the home with their 11-year-old granddaughter, who they had recently adopted. They did not have insurance.

Catherine Hooks was home with her daughter at the time of the fire. They were not injured.

The family had a dog and two cats. The dog is OK. One cat has recovered after firefighters treated it at the scene, and it was taken to a veterinarian. The other cat remains missing but was not found inside the house, Schumaker said.

Donations of baskets for a Chinese auction at the dinner are being sought, Schumaker said. They can be dropped off at the Allegheny Township community building, 136 Community Building Road.

The American Red Cross has set the family up with lodging in a New Kensington hotel. Schumaker said they are working on securing an apartment.

Donations including clothing, living room and bedroom furniture and appliances have been coming in to help the family since the fire, according to Schumaker. They are being held until the family has a place to put it.

For those wishing to help, money donations are what is most needed now, Schumaker said.

Donations should be dropped off at the Allegheny Township community building. For information, the township can be reached at 724-842-4641.

Brian Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, [email protected] or via Twitter @BCRittmeyer.

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