Up for the challenge: Love Lane Kitchen staff takes icy bath

Fifteen members of the staff of Love Lane Kitchen in Mattituck rose to the challenge laid down by Johanna Benthal, of Jamesport, whose older brother Dave is a manager there: Dump a bucket of ice water over your heads or donate $100 apiece to the ALS Association.

It was all in good fun and for a good cause.

The “Ice Bucket Challenge” is sweeping social media. Here’s how it works. A challenger dares a friends to dump a bucket of ice water over their heads. They, in turn, pay it forward by challenging others. If they can’t meet the challenge in 24 hours, the people challenged are asked to donate $100 to the ALS Association. A video of the challenge being fulfilled is recorded and posted on Facebook.

Johanna, who turns 18 Thursday, took the challenge and decided to challenge Love Lane Kitchen, her favorite place to eat and hang out. See prior story.

She and her brother went to the restaurant Wednesday afternoon to announce the challenge in person, said Love Lane Kitchen owner Carolyn Iannone.

“It’s hard to say no to the very influential Johanna Benthal,” Iannone said.

Even though the staff doused themselves with ice water, they kicked in $500 in a collection for ALS taken up at the beach after they dried off.

Thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge craze, between July 29 and Aug. 12, the ALS Association has garnered $4 million in donations, compared to $1.12 million during the same time period last year.

“We have never seen anything like this in the history of the disease,” said Barbara Newhouse, president and CEO of the ALS Association. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the level of compassion, generosity and sense of humor that people are exhibiting as they take part in this impactful viral initiative.”

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is an incurable, progressive and deadly disease.

Raising awareness, Newhouse added, is critical. “While the monetary donations are absolutely incredible,” said Newhouse, “the visibility that this disease is getting as a result of the challenge is truly invaluable. People who have never before heard of ALS are now engaged in the fight to find treatments and a cure for ALS.”