New England Authentic Eats LLC (NEAE), the parent company of Papa Gino’s Pizzeria and D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches, donated $204,735.82 to local organizations in 2022 through a number of campaigns, giveaways and charitable giving efforts, the company announced in a press release.
Serving New Englanders for over 115 years combined, the two restaurant brands have deep roots in their neighborhoods and a long history of impactful community involvement.
“We take our role as New England’s Neighborhood Sandwich Shop and The Official Pizza of New Englanders very seriously, and this means more to us than just words and serving delicious food; it means continuously finding ways to support, engage with, and give back to the communities we serve,” said Deena McKinley, chief experience officer at NEAE.
“As we begin 2023, we are so grateful to our loyal guests and our amazing team members for helping us raise more than $200,000 in 2022 through fundraisers, community partnerships and charitable giving efforts, all going back into our local areas and benefiting New Englanders,” McKinley added. “It means so much to us that we are able to all work together to make a difference here in New England, and we look forward to another year of meaningful connections and tasty givings in 2023!”
While the majority of Papa Gino’s and D’Angelo restaurants exist as separate entities, increasingly there are certain locations where the two iconic New England brands are brought together under one roof as a co-branded Papa Gino’s & D’Angelo restaurant. Prior to opening a newly combined Papa Gino’s and D’Angelo restaurant, the team members are asked to identify a local community organization—such as a food pantry or emergency assistance program—making a significant, positive impact in their neighborhood. The store then donates the entire first day of sales to the chosen organization.
In 2022, NEAE converted six restaurants to co-branded locations, donating a total of $20,061.34 to local food pantries and relief programs through the generosity of its guests. These included:
- The Foxboro, Massachusetts restaurant at 211 North Street donated $3,055.66 to the Foxboro Food Pantry, a volunteer-operated pantry supporting Foxboro residents in need.
- The Taunton, Massachusetts restaurant at 65-F Taunton Depot Road donated $2,814.63 to Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center, a nonprofit that has evolved from a soup kitchen to include services that help their community members with important life skills.
- The Merrimack, New Hampshire restaurant at 3 Continental Blvd donated $4,979 to St. John’s Food Pantry, a volunteer-run program working to provide hunger relief to the Merrimack community.
- The Hudson, New Hampshire restaurant at 77 Derry Road donated $2,100.39 to Corpus Christi Food Pantry & Assistance, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing hunger and homelessness in the Nashua area.
- The Wareham, Massachusetts restaurant at 2899 Cranberry Highway donated $3,853.81, to Damien’s Place Food Pantry, a family food pantry seeking to help end hunger in the greater Wareham/New Bedford area.
- The Burlington, Massachusetts restaurant at 179 Cambridge Street donated $3,257.84 to People Helping People, a nonprofit working to establish and sustain a community-wide effort to help meet the basic needs of Burlington residents.
Meanwhile, the D’Angelo $55K Neighborhood Giveaway was a months-long celebration of the neighborhood sandwich shop’s 55th year in business. Throughout the summer, the restaurant awarded $10,000 to five community partner organizations as well as $1,000 to five voters across New England, totaling $55,000 in donations. The program garnered more than 51,000 votes, with communities rallying behind their favorite local community organizations to spread the word and encourage their neighbors to vote.
Papa Gino’s and D’Angelo also host weekly fundraisers, offering local nonprofits the chance to earn 20% of pre-tax sales from a nearby Papa Gino’s or D’Angelo location during a set period of time. Throughout 2022, the restaurants held a total of 442 fundraisers, raising $50,563.54 for the PTOs, sports teams, community programming organizations and other nonprofits that make a difference in their neighborhoods.
