CC alumnus raids the ‘Pantry’ with concert fundraisers

Peeking out from a sea of smiling, wiggling, dancing teenagers stood Jeff Petriello, CC ’09, the proud host of the event, better known as a “Pantry Party.”

What, exactly, is a Pantry Party? These concerts targeted at the under-21 crowd raise money for soup kitchens and food pantries, offering a dose of culture for those who often can’t get access to the same events as those with the IDs to prove it, with the proceeds going to a good case.

Petriello said his love for music and the arts grew during his time at Columbia. “Columbia was the greatest experience of my life. No exaggeration,” Petriello said. The New Jersey group is also hoping to host “Pantry Parties” in collaboration with current Columbia students to benefit neighborhoods around the University as the events gain momentum.

The idea for Pantry Parties was conceived this past summer when Petriello and a close friend, Marla Lacherza, were bored, jobless, and living at home with their parents in Wayne, New Jersey like many of their fellow graduates. “I was hanging out a decent amount with my little cousin,” Petriello said, “and I realized that he didn’t have access to the kinds of live shows and events I used to go to when I was his age.”

Both Lacherza and Petriello have fond memories of growing up in Wayne and attending concerts at a local abandoned firehouse where they saw burgeoning turn-of-the-millennium acts such as Midtown, Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, and The Get Up Kids. “Lacherza and I wanted to bring back the Wayne music scene for the young’uns—this time, doing it our way,” Petriello said.

Choosing to revive the artistic spirit of the Wayne Firehouse, Lacherza and Petriello planned to host concerts at the nostalgic venue that not only displayed local musical talent but also “provided the opportunity for artists to showcase their craft,” Lacherza said. The Pantry Parties exhibit handmade jewelry, T-shirts, paintings, baked goods and even art from the nearby high school for partygoers to enjoy between acts and hopefully purchase to take home with them.

While concocting such a vision through the long days of summer, Petriello stumbled upon an article in the local paper about a 30 percent shortage of goods in nearby soup kitchens and pantries. The two planners decided that they should include providing relief to such local organizations in their goals for the upcoming year.

With such great aspirations came certain sizeable obstacles as well. “The problem, as it always seems to be for me,” Petriello said, “was money.” In order for the Pantry Parties to succeed, the two cofounders needed to find a way to encourage local kids to come see bands they may have never heard before. Also, to benefit the charity, an entry fee would have to be charged.

“Ten dollars may not be a lot to some people, but an admission price like that around here can severely hinder an event’s attendance,” said Petriello. “So we came up with a sort of pay-what-you-want, Radiohead-inspired system that provides the option to replace conventional currency with canned food.”
It still costs ten dollars to enter the party, but for every can of food one brings, an additional dollar is marked off the original fare. All of the donated food is then brought to a local soup kitchen.

The atmosphere for the party coordinators is always kept light-hearted. The Pantry Party team includes Petriello and Lacherza, as well as members of their family and close friends. Some other members include local Wayne residents such as “Street Team Leader” Kevin Bing, “Art and Crafts Commander” Katie Paricio, and “Cupcake President” Hayley Treanor.

Petriello and Lacherza have big dreams for the future of their Pantry Parties. Part of the beauty of the events is that they provide an “easily reproducible model that can be utilized in other places besides Wayne,” Petriello explained. Petriello’s grand vision is to take a road trip across America and stop in myriad towns along the way to catch different versions of the Pantry Party.

“I’m interested in a model similar to the one Food Not Bombs [a non-profit network] uses, where we have a set of guidelines that anyone, anywhere can pick up and use,” Petriello said.

While some recent college graduates hold money as their ultimate goal, “Money is our anti-cause,” Petriello explained, “which is kind of difficult for [some people] to understand. I’m just interested in spreading this idea to as many people as possible.”

Petriello and Lacherza’s mission is to bring back the thriving scene of music and creativity that once underlined their childhood and spread it to other small towns near and far. Simply put, Petriello said, “I’m trying to save suburbia. Just because you don’t live in a big city doesn’t mean you can’t have big ideas.”