One day, a customer stopped by Rosa’s Fresh Pizza in Philadelphia and asked if homeless people ever ate there. And when he found out that they do, the man asked if he could buy a slice of pizza for the next homeless person who came by. The man then gave the restaurant $1—the price of a slice of pizza—and went on his way.
The restaurant’s owner, Mason Wartman, liked the idea. He wrote a credit for a free piece of pizza on a post-it note and stuck it on the wall.
The next day, a hungry guy came in with only 65 cents in his pocket. Mason told the guy to hold on to his money and told him that his pizza was already paid for.
It wasn’t long before more people bought slices for the homeless—and so far, Mason has given away over 10,000 pieces of pizza to homeless and economically disadvantaged people.
Today, the pizzeria whose customers pay it forward is reknowned in the area. And every day, customers come in and leave a dollar so others can have something to eat.
The walls of Rosa’s Fresh Pizza are covered with post-it notes. And each note contains a small message to the person who will get the pizza.
For many people, the free pizza has become a lifeline when they otherwise couldn’t afford to buy food.
“I’ve been homeless on and off for the past for the last five years. It really sucks. But at least I know I can look forward to 11 o’clock when I know I can get some fresh, hot pizza,” said one of the visitors at the pizzeria.
And it’s not just homeless people who are taking the restaurant up on free slices. People who have a place to live but not much money also stop by to eat.
Many customers who buy pizza for others used to be homeless and know how hard it is not having money for food.
I’m so happy to read about this idea! Please share this article with your friends and maybe more restaurants will try this!
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