Charity News

California Humanitarian Makes Pit Stop In Italy For Sophia Loren's 90th Birthday

During an Italian tour promoting his humanitarian project, Caterina’s Club, Sir Bruno Serato, a native of Italy and current California resident, attended the 90th birthday party for silver screen legend Sofia Loren. The Oscar-winning actress is a supporter of Serato’s nonprofit that feeds hot pasta dinners prepared each night in his critically acclaimed restaurant, Anaheim White House Italian Steakhouse, to some 25,000 Southern California underprivileged children weekly. He will be celebrating Caterina’s Club’s 20th anniversary next year. “What an honor it was to spend Sophia’s milestone birthday with an exclusive group of mostly family and friends,” says Serato, who attended the celebration with his sister, Flavia Serato. “I was able to give her an update on Caterina’s Club, as she is a major supporter of this effort. She likes the fact that I, too, am Italian who has made a name for himself. We’re both very proud of our heritage.” Not many Americans can stake claim to being a CNN Hero or having been honored on the steps of the U.S. Capitol by members of Congress. Even fewer can show someone their Ellis Island Medal of Honor or a set of rosary beads personally gifted by Pope Francis who also administered a papal blessing. And they can probably count on one hand the number of Americans who have been knighted not once, but twice….first by the Italian government and later by the House of Savoy. But those are among the achievements and accolades Serato has earned due to his humanitarian projects. Serato traces the origins of Caterina's Club to the day he and his mother (Caterina) visited a local Boys and Girls Club. There, they happened upon a 7-year-old boy who was eating a bag of potato chips. When asked why he was snacking so close to supper time, she was told that the chips were his dinner. Like most of the others at the club, this boy was a “motel kid,” so named because his family couldn’t afford to live in an apartment, so they were relegated to occupying a cheap motel room. Not only did these motels not contain kitchens, but they were crime-ridden establishments — breeding grounds for prostitution and drugs -- and no place for kids. Stunned and desperate to do something, mom and son headed back to the restaurant and made pasta dinner for all of the children. He has done so every day for nearly 20 years. Despite going through several economic downturns leading him to twice mortgage his home to keep the program going and a fire that burned his beloved restaurant to the ground, Serato has carried on. Like a Phoenix emerging from the ashes, nothing has and nothing ever will prevent him from performing his life's work. Serato says that with his mother kindly smiling down from heaven, he will continue to serve those most in need. For more information about Caterina’s Club visit www.caterinasclub.org *****