DiPietro’s Italian Sandwiches Return to Portland For One Day Fundraiser

It was 9 years ago that DiPietro’s Italian Sandwiches on Cumberland Street closed after being a Portland landmark for 69 years. Now, the beloved DiPierto's italians will return for one day only to help raise money to pay for a heart and double lung transplant.

DiPietro’s opened in 1944 at the bottom of Munjoy Hill in Portland as a family business that stayed in the family for three generations, becoming well known for their delicious, freshly made-to-order italians.

According to an article from the Bangor Daily News written when the store closed, Joseph DiPietro took over the store from his father in 1966 and ran it with his wife Elanor until he passed away in 2003. From then, Eleanor continued to run the store with her daughter Michelle Grondin until it was closed in 2013 allowing Eleanor to retire after 47 years.

Now, for just one day only, the DiPietro family will make their classic italians for $7 to raise money for Michelle DiPietro's husband David. He is currently hospitalized awaiting a heart and double lung transplant and the money raised will help with the medical costs.

According to a post in the David Grondin heart & lung transplant Facebook group, the one-day DiPoetro's italian sandwich fundraising event will be on February 19 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Gold Room at 512 Warren Avenue. Made-to-order ham italians will be offered for $7, cash only. There will also be raffles you can enter and #TEAMDAVID t-shirts for $20. Mask are required to protect the family so the family is still able to visit David in the hospital. Also they ask for your patience as all italians are made-to-order so it may take some time to get yours.

You can learn more and make a donation online to benefit the National Foundation for Transplants, Inc. by hitting the link below.