BETHEL — For nearly a decade, John and Amy Amann, the owners of the Italian restaurant 22 Broad Street, have selected certain days to donate 100 percent of their proceeds and gratuities to organizations and programs in the Bethel area.

Their latest campaign has raised $6,100 toward replacing the “ancient” basketball hoops at Telstar Regional High School in Bethel.

Amann said he and his wife opened the restaurant in 2000 and remained open for a few years before taking a hiatus for about 18 months.

“For a little while, we were just a bed and breakfast,” Amann said. “During that time, we decided to donate a portion of our earnings on certain days to the Telstar Regional High School football program. After we did that, we were bombarded with calls to make reservations,” he said.

“We were left with a good taste in our mouth, so to speak, for helping the town out,” Amann said. “We reopened our restaurant, and we’ve continued to help out the community whenever we can.”

The Amanns have set their sights on the Bethel Recreation Department, which is attempting to raise $15,000, with the help of SAD 44, to replace the basketball hoops in the high school gym.

Amann said entree prices at 22 Broad Street all end in 22 cents due to a special deal the restaurant has with school district.

“For each entree that we sell, we donate 22 cents to SAD 44 to go toward specific programs or projects,” Amann said. “SAD 44 Superintendent David Murphy always asks us if there’s anything in particular that we want the money to go toward, and I remembered him mentioning how the Bethel Recreation board and SAD 44 were trying to raise money for new basketball hoops in the Telstar gym.”

The gym is used by the Recreation Department and students from Telstar middle school and high school, Amann said, and the equipment at the gym is “ancient.”

“I think some of their equipment is older than my life,” Amann laughed. “We’re a little town, and there just hasn’t been the money in the budget to purchase new basketball hoops. I personally think that there’s nothing better than helping the kids. It’s great for them to have something to do other than computers, or smoking cigarettes or whatever else they might do instead.”

22 Broad Street has also raised money for the annual year-end trip to Boston by fifth-graders at Crescent Park Elementary School in Bethel and the skateboard park at Davis Park in Bethel.

A news release from resident Jewel Clark announced that, as of the first week of June, 22 Broad Street had raised nearly $6,100 for the new hoops.

Amann proceeds from dinners purchased June 18 and 25 will go toward the effort.

“I’m just glad we can do something to help the kids around here,” Amann said. “I don’t think there’s anything better a business can do than give back to the people who gave to them.”

mdaigle@sunjournal.com

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