Monday events have raised $60K this year for charity

By Max Sullivan

Hampton Union, August 1, 2014

[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online.]

Shane Pine, owner of The Community Oven in Hampton, center,
has helped raise more than $60,000 for charity this year as part of
the restaurant’s “Community Monday” fund-raisers. [Max Sullivan photo]

HAMPTON — In its first year, Community Oven's weekly Monday night fund-raisers, "Community Mondays," raised a total of $25,000 for a variety of different charities.

The next year, it got close to $30,000.

In 2014, the Hampton restaurant and pizzeria has raised $60,000 for causes that range from leukemia, breast cancer to those with disabilities, and there are still five months left in the year to pull in more.

Doubling the previous year's total is a milestone for owner Shane Pine, who opened the Community Oven with the intention of using it to help others and give back to the town he grew up in.

"It's great. One of my priorities and one thing I'm most proud of is being able to give back to the community," Pine said. "We have six days a week to support us, and one day we try to give it right back, and that's our Mondays."

A variety of causes have been supported in 2014 to raise the $60,000. On June 30, the restaurant raised over $11,000 for Action for Aidan, a fund which supports research for Hunter Syndrome, from which 5 year-old Aidan Carter of Stratham suffers.

Pine also put together a night dedicated to a 15-year-old Portsmouth High School student who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer, as well as a 62-mile bike ride from Wells, Maine, back down to Hampton for the American Diabetes Association.

In addition to donating a percentage of that night's profit to the charity of the week, "Community Mondays" allows patrons to participate in fund-raisers with 50/50 raffles and silent auctions.

Pine said word-of-mouth among charity organizations has played a big part in the growth of "Community Mondays."

"Over the course of two and half years here, we've had some really good benefits," Pine said.

Pine also finds ways to draw people in with special guests like Miss New Hampshire USA Bridget Brunet and her boyfriend, 2010 Olympic bronze medal-winning snowboarder Scotty Lago. On March 4, Brunet raised money for melanoma research as a part of her push to become Miss USA. Lago was that night's celebrity bartender.

Pine's passion for local charities goes back to his childhood, he said. Growing up in Hampton, he took advantage of local services like the town's Boy Scout troop, recreation activities and the United Methodist Church's ham and bean suppers.

"There's been a lot of great people from Hampton that have served me in my career and quest to own my own business," Pine said. "I always wanted to have an opportunity to come back and give back to the town."

This Monday, Aug. 4, the Community Oven will host a fund-raiser for Easter Seals, which helps people with disabilities in many ways, including helping them find jobs in the work force.

For more information on the Community Oven's "Community Mondays," go to www.thecommunityoven.com.

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