Anyone craving quality Italian food needs look no further than Guilford this August. The best of Italy will be making its way to St. George Church this summer for the third annual Italian Festival held Friday and Saturday, Aug. 26 and 27.

Put on by the St. George Men’s Group, the event will include live entertainment, activities for kids and adults, and plenty of food. according to event chairperson Jim Mancini.

“We will have lots of food and a nice tent to sit under for dinner,” he said. “Adults can play bocce and listen to the bands.”

Most of the food is home made and will include fried dough pizza, pasta, meatballs, and lasagna. There will be a selection of Italian deserts including cannoli, gelato, and Italian ice. In previous years, more than 2,500 people have attended this event so Mancini said there will be plenty of food.

Four live bands will play at the event. Four Barrel Billy and The Sin Sisters will play Friday, Aug. 26 and Steam Rollers and Shiny Lapel will play Saturday, Aug. 27.

“For those 15 and under it is free to get in and for adults it is $5 and that is mainly to support the bands, because they are expensive,” said Mancini. “The money from the food will help bring in the profits.”

Profits from the event will be divided between Guilford DAY Initiative and Lifelinx, two organizations working to combat addiction and raise awareness about drug abuse and recovery. All proceeds from the St. George Men’s Group events are donated to charity. Mancini said the group is pleased to be able to support this cause.

“It seems to be a hot topic, something that has been in the news a lot, how much of a problem that towns have with drug and alcohol abuse,” he said.

Mancini said that the donation to Lifelinx will help the addictions recovery support non-profit add sober housing, while the DAY donation will go toward prevention efforts.

DAY Prevention Coordinator Dana Hilmer said the group is pleased to receive the funds. DAY is currently funded through a five-year grant and Hilmer said donations like this help with financial sustainability.

“Receiving funds like this from the Italian Festival goes a long way toward that goal,” she said. “Our overall goal is to lower substance abuse in Guilford among our youth. We do have an action plan and these funds will definitely help us with that action plan this year.”

Hilmer said donations like this are reflective of a larger community commitment to lowering substance abuse.

“In the five years that we have had this grant, we have been so fortunate because we have been able to really pull together the community to create a healthy and safe environment for our kids and I think this speaks volumes to that,” she said.

Mancini said he is pleased these fun events benefit local charities.

“We are all about helping other non-profits,” he said. “We are there to support others in town who are in the trenches.”

For more information on the third annual St. George Church Italian Festival, visit www.stgeorgemensgroup.org.