A Fort Green Italian restaurant is helping relief efforts for earthquake victims half a world away -- in Italy.

"As soon as we heard the news, we decided that we wanted to do something to help," says Luca Piccin, a server at Larina Pastificio and Vino. 

Around the same time, the Italian Chefs in New York City group sent emails to Italian restaurants across the five boroughs, inviting them to help the town of Amatrice, which was the most affected by the quake.

The group floated the idea of making Amatriciana sauce in each participating restaurant, and for each dish of the pasta sold, $2 would be donated to aid.

The death toll in the quake has risen to at least 250.