Pizza Today - April 2021 - 14

MAN ON THE STREET

SCOTT WIENER

Take the Slice Out Hunger Pledge

ver the past 12 months, I've
spent about $800k on pizza. Any
normal year would have seen me
spending about a quarter of that on pizza
for tour guests, but this last trip around the
sun has been anything but normal. Live
tours are off the table, so I'm directing my
energy toward other projects. Rather than
pontificating on current industry trends,
I've decided to use my column this month
to tell you about how you can get involved
with the project I've spent most of my time

developing.
I founded Slice Out Hunger in 2015 to
support hunger relief organizations across
the U.S. through pizza-related campaigns
and events. Years before we scored our
official 501(c)3 status from the IRS, our
fundraising ran through the pizza tour
company and benefited New York City
organizations. We hosted an annual pizza
party that raised hundreds of thousands
of dollars by pairing a $1 Pizza Party with
corporate sponsorship opportunities.

The event's success begged for expansion, but its physical demands made that
difficult. Instead, we started launching
decentralized campaigns to benefit local
hunger relief organizations across the
country. Every National Pizza Day (Feb
9), we team up with the World Pizza
Champions to coordinate a massive donation from pizzerias to their local shelters
and soup kitchens Pizza Across America.
When an emergency hits, we rally pizzerias
to create specialty pizzas and donate a
portion of sales to those in need. Just last
month, we pulled together Toppings For
Texas to support those in need after the
massive storms and power outages across
the Lone Star State.
Here's where you come in: I'm asking
you to join our organization. It's 100 percent free and you may already have fulfilled
our member pledge. Members must either
donate 30 pizzas or raise $300 for a local
hunger relief organization every year. Don't
worry if you don't know where to start,
that's our job. We'll arrange opportunities
for you to fulfill the pledge by connecting
you with soup kitchens and shelters in your
area. If you're already doing something
to support hunger relief, just let us know
so we can amplify your signal across our
channels.
To join the hundreds of pizzerias that
have already signed up, just head to sliceouthunger.org/apply and fill out the form
for each of your locations. We'll send you a
membership kit with window decals so you
can show your community support.
Slice Out Hunger is all about helping
you help your community. Join us now and
become part of the pizza industry's strongest force for neighborhood support. ■

SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott's Pizza Tours in New York City and SliceOutHunger.org Instagram: @scottspizzatours

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Pizza Today - April 2021

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