Spaghetti dinner fundraiser takes place to help employees of Riley's Pour House
CARNEGIE, Pa. (KDKA) - Less than a month after a fire destroyed Riley's Pour House, a popular Irish pub in Carnegie, members of the community came together to help the owners and employees with a spaghetti dinner on Saturday.
Tents were up for a fundraiser to help Riley's Pour House which caught fire less than a month ago.
The Carnegie Fraternal Order of Eagles hosted a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to help the employees of Riley's Pour House.
"In 2022, I told John Riley [that] if he ever needed anything, I have a life debt to him, and I'll do whatever I can to pay it back," said Ryan Busch at the event.
Busch, a former employee, was in a near-fatal car accident that year. This event was a full-circle moment for him.
"I would have been homeless without them," Busch said.
Riley's held a fundraiser for him. Now, he's doing the same for them by organizing this spaghetti dinner.
Mayor Stacie Riley said just days after the fire that it was in her blood. She worked there and kicked off her councilwoman and mayoral campaigns there.
She also went on to say that the town has been tested numerous times and it always recovers and always rebuilds.
Last month, in the wake of the fire, many of the holiday market vendors were donating parts of their proceeds to Riley's employees.
The spaghetti dinner is for the 29 Riley's Pour House employees, including Rachael Phelps.
"It sucks really bad, I mean, me personally, this is the best job I ever had. I've been bartending at Riley's for two and a half years. I have a college degree, [but] I made more behind the bar at the Pour House," Phelps said.
She's found other ways to make money, but it hasn't been the same.
"This means so much to us. We are so thankful the community has come together to support us and people outside of the community," Phelps added.
The event offered her an opportunity to catch up with her regulars.
"That has meant so much today as well."
The scenes at the Carnegie Fraternal Order of Eagles stood in stark contrast to that November day.
Riley's owner John said this has all been overwhelming.
"It's just an amazing outpouring of love for the business, for the staff, and I am really humbled by it. You don't ever expect something like this to happen. But all the all the support has made it a lot easier to deal with it," John said.
As for who organized the dinner, John Riley says Busch's gesture means a lot to him.
"Ryan is giving back 10 fold what we did for him," Riley said.
While the benefit wrapped up at 8 p.m., the building remained open until 1:30 a.m.
One of the bar's co-owers said that they will rebuild and today's fundraiser is part of that as well as continued support for the employees affected by the fire.
