Couple spends what would have been their wedding day gathering donations for food bank

(Image credit: iStock)

published 7 May 2020

They planned on walking down the aisle last weekend, but instead, Sara Pagano and Brian Fenley spent Saturday collecting donations from family and friends for a Long Island food bank.

The Babylon, New York, couple had to postpone their wedding because of the coronavirus pandemic, but still wanted to do something positive on what would have been the big day. They heard that the Island Harvest Food Bank was struggling to keep up with demand, and decided to hold the Future Fenley's Food Drive.  

On Saturday, with Pagano wearing a white dress and Fenley in a suit, they drove from house to house, safely picking up food items and monetary donations from their friends and family. They were able to raise $5,000 for Island Harvest, and dropped off all of their donations on Tuesday. "I couldn't have imagined having to cancel my wedding and having such a great day," Pagano told Newsday. "I'm overwhelmed by the love and generosity of the people I've chosen to surround myself with."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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