Photo: Vinny and Paola posing with Restore The Shore winners Scarlett and Mariana. (Alexis Tirado)
What happens when you donate $20 to Restore the Shore? You could end up getting a memorable lunch with Vinny Guadagnino and one of the best Italian chefs in the game, his mom Paola!
It all went down in Vinny's hometown of Staten Island. Last year, MTV aired a "Restore The Shore" special, and we auctioned amazing experiences. All you had to do was donate a few bucks for a chance to win things like tickets to the VMAs or a lunch at Vinny's house!
Marina Tolley read about the auction on Twitter, donated $20 and a few months later received an all-expenses paid trip to New York City (from rural Virginia) to meet and eat with Vinny. Bonus: Marina was able to bring her BFF, Scarlett Dell Vance, along for the trip, too! I was lucky enough to be there — and eat Paola's heavenly food! — too.
+ Watch Vinny 's Lunch To Restore The Shore.
How cute was that video? It was the first time that Marina and Scarlett ate authentic Italian food and they were floored. And ya gotta love it when Vinny says, "I don't really bring girls to meet my mom too often." #PerfectGentleman. Like Vinny said, there's still a lot of help that's needed to restore the shore, so take action with our widgets below. You might not score a lunch with Vinny, but you'll receive loads of good karma.