Happy Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream is a brand that’s all about serving families. So it’s no surprise that the Iowa-based chain will spend the next three months raising money for a nonprofit that serves families as well.

For every Happy Joe’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza sold from mid-November through February 29, 2024, a dollar will go toward helping foodservice industry families during health crises. It’s part of Happy Joe’s partnership with CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees).

“Our goal is to not only serve our guests, but to serve the employees who make our success possible,” Chief Happiness Officer Tom Sacco said. “CORE is the perfect nonprofit for us to proudly support because we want our Happy Joe’s family to have a safety net when faced with life-altering circumstances. Taking care of the less fortunate has always been a big part of Happy Joe’s DNA. Partnering with CORE was a natural evolution for us. If we can take care of the less fortunate outside our industry, why not do the same for those inside our industry?”

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CORE is a national nonprofit committed to helping food and beverage service employees with children by providing financial assistance when the employee or their child faces a significant health crisis, injury, death or natural disaster.

Qualifying terms are:
Minimum of one dependent child in their home
One parent/legal guardian working in the restaurant industry

Service industry employees who face medical illness, diagnosis, injury, death or natural disaster can apply for the grant for themselves or on behalf of their children facing the same conditions. Medical documentation is required.

Joe Whitty founded Happy Joe’s in Davenport, Iowa, in 1972 with the dream of creating a restaurant concept focused on serving America’s two favorite foods: pizza and ice cream. The family-centric pizza brand has three company-owned and 43 franchise locations throughout the Midwest, with more in the pipeline.