Cheesesteak company does good in Bronx
Wogies teams up with south Bronx nonprofi t for holiday toy drive
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Despite all current challenges
faced by the city’s dining
industry, one Manhattan
cheesesteak staple is still going
the whole nine yards to
ensure that Bronx children
have something to smile
about this holiday season.
Wogies, a Philadelphiathemed
bar operating out of
both the West Village and Financial
District partnered
with Children’s Aid, a south
Bronx-based nonprofi t, for a
holiday toy drive which will
bring gifts to foster children,
youth with special needs
and other underserved kids
not only in the Bronx but
throughout New York City.
Accepting donations until
Friday, Dec. 18, donors need
not make a trip into Manhattan
as monetary collections
will also be accepted
through messaging Wogies
Instagram by longtime staff
member, Luchana Gatica.
However, if you do head
to a Wogies location with a
toy or contribution in hand,
there is a free beer in it for
you.
Gatica, who is spearheading
the toy drive has also volunteered
to go out and purchase
toys for those who make
fi nancial contributions – so
far they have raised nearly
$1,000 in toys and money, she
said.
After doing some research,
she felt compelled
to work with Children’s Aid
as it operates within the nation’s
poorest congressional
district, saying she couldn’t
even fathom the “deep impact
on mental health” that kids
under those circumstances
have felt throughout this
year.
This toy drive is one of
many charitable actions that
Wogies and owner Aaron
Hoffman has done throughout
the seemingly cursed
year of 2020.
During the fi rst dining
shutdown, Wogies offered
free food to those in the service
industry as well as their
own employees in addition to
donations to essential workers
BRONX TIMES R 34 EPORTER, DECEMBER 18-24, 2020 BTR
as well as discounts to
NYPD and FDNY members.
This second wave of a dining
closedown is particularly
frustrating to the cheesesteak
bar as Hoffman, like
many other small businesses,
invested heavily into a new
air fi ltration system, heaters
and a large-scale, comfortable
outdoor setup paired
with televisions for Sunday
football and other events.
“It’s important to support
businesses who have been
jumping through hoops,” Gatica
said, adding that they are
“staying open for employees
as much as for customers.”
On the culinary side of
things, look no further than
Wogies for New York City’s
most prized cheesesteak,
wings voted to be some of
the region’s best, and plenty
of other one-of-a-kind treats
like garbage bread, which
comes from its unique, onsite
industrial oven.
Also available is a half
cheesesteak and buffalo
Courtesy of Wogies
chicken concoction, garnished
with both a chipotle
cheddar wiz and white
American cheese, which was
named for this reporter.
Wogies will also be doing
another drive along with the
United States Marine Corps
and Toys For Tots this holiday
season.
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