Angier, NC – September 1, 2007 – As a way to honor the victims and heroes of 9/11 and preserve the spirit of unity and compassion that existed in the nation following the terrorist attacks, Fox’s Pizza Den of Angier served a complimentary dinner for the first responders of Angier and their spouses on September 11, 2007.   Fox’s Pizza donated $1 for each pizza sold on September 11th to the Angier Fire Department for the purchase of smoke detectors.

“The turnout for the event was more than we expected, which was great,” Tom Johnson said.  “It was our pleasure to honor these people by giving them a free dinner.  It has been an honor for us to serve them for a change.”

Several community members along with their staff at the pizzeria volunteered their time and expertise for dinner that evening.  Rebecca Moore of Angier, an Angier Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary member, volunteered at the dinner, and said about 70 people attended.  “The EMS did receive an emergency call during the dinner, but was later able to rejoin us to finish their meal,” Mrs. Moore said.

According to Mrs. Moore, two of the highlights of the evening included  fellow Angier Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary member Lisa Thomas presenting a poem written especially for the responders, and a “touching” personal speech written by Kris Johnson especially for responders.  The auxiliary presented Fox’s Pizza with a commemoratory plaque for its generosity.

Angier Fire Training Officer Richard Beasley was one of the firefighters attending the dinner.  Beasley said, “I could say, for all of us, we had a great time.  It was very nice of Fox’s Pizza to pay tribute to us the way that they did.  I can honestly say that every person enjoyed the dinner.”

For Cassie Johnson, pizza store manager, the dinner was well worth the time and effort.  “It was indeed a pleasure to serve the Angier firemen, rescue squad and police officers.  We hope to make this an annual event,” she said.

Fox’s Pizza Den is a Pittsburgh based franchise with over 300 units nationwide.  In recent years the Fox’s name has been widely associated with good deeds.  Franchisees from Punxsutawney, PA, to Lincoln, NE have taken the lead to make a difference in their communities.  See www.FoxsPizza.com/news for details.