Filter: Charity
Scott Wiener
Pizza, Charity
Naples Pizzeria Feeds Locals in Need
The concept of "paying it forward" has achieved loads of recognition in recent years and the global pizza community has responded in full force. One of the best examples is the Philadelphia pizzeria Rosa's, which allows customers to purchase $1 slices for people who need a warm meal. It's an awesome model that actually started in the world of coffee. Some say the tradition of buying "caffe sospeso," or suspended coffee, goes back 100 years. When someone experiences good fortune they buy two coffees but only take one, leaving a credit for someone who can't afford to buy their own. Similar concepts have been used in nearly a dozen different countries, but it all started in Naples, Italy.
Pizzerias in Naples have embraced the caffe sospeso concept, allowing customers to purchase pizzas for those in need. Slice Out Hunger founder Scott Wiener recently visited da Concettina ai Tre Santi, which has been offering pizza sospeso for over three years. Every few months, they bake a batch of pies and distribute them at local soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
In the photo above, 449 represents the number of pizzas paid for by Concettina's customers. Scott purchased two pizzas on behalf of Slice Out Hunger, whose mission is exactly the same as that of the famous Neapolitan pizzeria. Ask your local pizzeria if they'd be willing to do the same!
Tagged: pizza, charity, Naples, Italy, pizza sospesa
Charity, Nonprofit, Pizza
Supporting the Oregon Food Bank With a Pizza Tour of Portland
Slice Out Hunger recently hosted a pizza tour of Portland for an amazing group of kids who run an incredible zine called Fried Eagle. (Half the kids wanted to call it The Eagle, the other half wanted to call it Fried Chicken. Adorable compromise!) We visited three pizzerias, sampling slices and performing a deep analysis at each. 100% of the tour's proceeds went to the Oregon Food Bank, which can feed a family of 4 for 3-5 days. Our $563 donation will go a long way, feeding a family of 4 for over 225 days.
We started the tour at Escape From New York, the first slice shop in Portland. The Fried Eagle crew enjoyed some classic New York slices from a true Portland pizza landmark.
Our second stop was Ken's Artisan Bakery, where we tried two different types of pizza (Pizza Margherita and a sausage pizza) after store manager Katie took us on a tour of the kitchen. Ken's does a pizza night every Monday, perfectly coinciding with our tour! Ken's also has a dedicated pizzeria on the east side of town.
Our final stop was HOTLIPS Pizza, where owner David Yudkin talked to the Fried Eagle crew about his vision for the pizzeria. He also serves us samples of his amazing all-natural soda line, HOTLIPS Soda!
The tour was an absolute blast and we're happy to have helped those in the community who can't afford to feed themselves. Look out for more Slice Out Hunger tours, events, and programs. And please contact us with any thoughts and ideas for how pizza can help feed the hungry in your community.
Tagged: pizza, charity, slice out hunger, portland