By Eamon Baird

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TROY — El Sombrero Restaurant and For All Season’s Gift Boutique are holding a quilt raffle to benefit Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County.

The cost of the raffle is $5 per ticket or $20 for five tickets and can either be purchased at the restaurant located at 1700 N. County Road 25A or the boutique shop at 2 W. Main St. in downtown Troy.

The quilt was designed by Maxine Groves and owned by Ruben Pelayo, the former owner of El Sombrero Restaurant. On Oct. 27, 2024, Pelayo passed away.

Mark Earhart, marketing representative for El Sombrero, and a close friend of Pelayo’s spoke about the idea of donating the quilt.

“The hospice was good to him the whole time and they stuck with him when he decided he wanted to pass at home,” Earhart said. “He was very happy with the way they took care of him, that’s why we felt we should do something for them.”

In June of 2023, Pelayo donated a dollhouse, which belonged to his mother Judy Rose to benefit the hospice. The raffle for the dollhouse drawing raised $1,100 for patient care and services at Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County.

For All Season’s Gift Boutique currently has 18 volunteers and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rick Fry is one of the boutique’s volunteers.

“A lot of people come in and they have stories about how the hospice took care of loved ones,” Fry said. “We have people that come every week and buy something just because they know it goes to a good cause.”

Fry said that 100% of all donations and purchases at the boutique assist in funding Hospice of Miami County, which helps residents get the care they need. He added that Pelayo was always an advocate for them.

“Ruben was a big ambassador for the hospice, and we are happy to do something in his memory,” Fry said.

The drawing for the quilt is scheduled at the For All Season’s Gift Boutique shop on Sunday, June 2, after the Troy Strawberry Festival.