"She's the inspiration for who I am and what I do," Bruno Serato said with tears in his eyes when speaking about his mother, Caterina Lunardi, at a fundraising luncheon for 100 in her honor at the Anaheim White House on Aug. 23.

A longtime supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim, Serato created a special support group two years ago in honor of his mother. As a result, Caterina's Club has purchased a 12-passenger van to pick up children who live in motels to bring them to the Boys & Girls Club Center for afternoon activities and dinner.

Tutoring, music lessons, dental services and medical transport for these kids are provided through the 360-member club, mostly women and a few men, who hold quarterly lunches at the restaurant and write checks to the Boys & Girls Club of Anaheim.

Serato told us that when he brought his mother to the Boys & Girls Club in April to see the progress, and she saw the motel kids eating snacks for dinner, she said, "We need to do more."

"That night Serato and his mother prepared pasta for the kids and sent it over, and they've been doing it ever since," said Michael Baker, executive director of the Anaheim clubs. "You should see their faces," Serato said. "They're grinning from ear to ear."

Ten of the "pasta kids" were guests at the luncheon, including 17-year-old Joy Washington, who tearfully thanked Serato and his mother, saying, "My parents work almost 12 hours a day, and if we didn't have your tasty pasta, we wouldn't be eating until 11 or 12 o'clock at night, and I know some children probably wouldn't be eating at all."

The heartfelt affair netted $4,300 to continue the Caterina's Club work.

Serato's Anaheim White House was recently awarded the California Restaurant Neighbor Award in the Humanitarian of the Year division by the National Restaurant Association and is competing with other state winners for the national award. Looks like a shoo-in to me!

For further information on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim, call (714) 491-3617 or visit www.theboysandgirlsclub.org.