Ever since the Special Olympics World Winter Games Greek delegation arrived in Anchorage, the group has been treated like family. On Thursday night, following a long day of competition, Little Italy owner P.J. Gialopsos invited the whole team to South Anchorage for dinner.

But it wasn't Gialopsos' idea. Anastasia, 14, Akis, 15, and Amelia, 10, her three children, have been cheering the team since competition began, she said. Their father, Spiros -- the restaurant's chef -- is in Greece with his ailing mother, the kids' grandmother. The children are proud of their Greek heritage, and want to give something back to the country that has given them so much.

"This really means a lot to them," Gialopsos said.

All three of Gialopsos' kids went to the opening ceremonies. Anastasia thought the event was great but that there was too much emphasis on celebrities like the Shriver family and Arnold Schwarzenegger. On Thursday, she served athletes huge portions of spaghetti and meatballs or whatever else they wanted off the menu of Mediterranean dishes.

The family had already supplied athletes and coaches with American food. On Sunday, following the opening ceremony, Anastasia got a call on her cell phone. The team was hungry and needed food, a coach said. Without hesitation, the family ordered hamburgers from a local restaurant and brought them to the Holiday Inn, where the team is staying.

On Thursday, athletes clapped to Greek music. Akis, fluent in Greek, ran from table to table, posed for pictures, and laughed.

"It's so, just so wonderful," Gialopsos said.