New York City-area pizzeria owners have teamed up on National Pizza Day to give back to the communities.
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, the Jersey Pizza Boys owners and the nonprofit Slice Out Hunger called on area restaurants, and well as others across the U.S., to donate at least 10 pies to local shelters and soup kitchens.
More than two dozen places around the city are participating in the Pizza Across America program and at least seven in New Jersey.
Carmine Testa of Jersey City's famed Carmines Pizza Factory and co-founder of the program says it is an important way for restaurants to give back to the community even though both are hurting amid the pandemic.
“Sure, small businesses like pizzerias are having a tough year but too many people are suffering more than we are. I like the idea of celebrating National Pizza Day by helping others rather than squandering it by celebrating ourselves,” Testa said in a statement.
Food insecurity has been a growing problem due to the coronavirus pandemic leaving millions of Americans without jobs. According to a survey released last year by the U.S. Census Bureau, about 10% of Americans, 22.3 million, reported they sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat between Aug. 19 and 31, 2020.
Check out the participating restaurants and the recipients of the pizzas in the map below.
