SOUTHINGTON, Conn. — Smoke and Muddle, located on Liberty Street in Southington, will hold a fundraiser Friday to benefit the family of Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier.
“I'm donating 15% of our sales for that night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and then we're also doing a raffle,” said Robin Cimino, owner of Smoke and Muddle.
15% of Friday’s sales and all the proceeds of the raffle will go to the GoFundMe set up by Connecticut State Police.
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Several local businesses have donated the prizes for the raffle to honor Pelletier.
“I got some baskets from worldwide wine and spirits in Southington, we have some gift cards for axe throwing, we have some umbrellas, we have an outdoor barbecue stove; We have a lot of good stuff coming in. So, it should be a pretty good raffle,” said Cimino.
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Longtime Southington residents said amidst the grief, it is heartwarming to see how the community has rallied to support Pelletier’s wife and two young sons.
“Southington really is a very good community. Since I've lived here, I've noticed that you see a lot of that in town. Certainly, people coming together…It’s great to see and it's not a surprise,” said Craig Kosinski of Southington.
Cimino said it’s important to give back to a family whose sacrifice is felt by so many.
“I think they made a sacrifice with their father and their husband and as a community for him to protect and serve us now. It's our responsibility to protect and help them as much as we can,” said Cimino.
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The GoFundMe set up by Connecticut State Police has surpassed its initial goal of $500,000.
Click here to learn more about Friday’s fundraiser at Smoke and Muddle.
Jake Garcia is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. He can be reached at jgarcia@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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