CraigO's Pizza and Pastaria marks 20 years with community fundraisers

CraigO's Pizza and Pastaria celebrates its 20th anniversary July 6 and plans to give back to the community to commemorate the milestone.

CraigO's owner Craig Plackis said he and his team planned three fundraising nights for the beginning of July when the restaurant will donate 15% of its sales to a different nonprofit each night.

The fundraising nights are:

• July 3: Southwest Family YMCA, which helps people of all backgrounds improve their quality of life through programs ranging from fitness to social
• July 5: Dell Children's Blood and Cancer Center of Austin, which provides treatments for children with blood or cancer disorders
• July 6: Hungry Souls, which provides nourishment for food-insecure children in Austin

Two of the CraigO's locations will participate—the South Austin location at 4970 W. Hwy. 290, Austin; and the Lakeway location at 2501 Ranch Road 620, South Lakeway.

Plackis said these fundraisers will each be an all-day event and start when the restaurants open at 11 a.m. until closing at 9 p.m.

Some of the items on the menu Plackis is most proud of include:

• Hand-rolled meatballs
• Fettuccini chicken Alfredo
• The Mitchellini specialty pizza
• The cannoli

Plackis said he will continue to offer affordable Italian specialties that are made in-store from recipes passed down for generations in his family as long as the store remains open.

To learn more, visit www.craigositalian.com.