A pizza shop in Farmington, Connecticut, scored national coverage for delivering free pizzas to a local hospital as medical professionals gear up for an expected surge in patients due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Kurt Kruczek, owner of Naples Pizza, appeared on Fox News’ Fox & Friends to discuss the good work his store is doing for the community. He said he got the idea from another restaurant that had delivered pies to a hospital in Middlesex. “I thought, what a great way to contribute to what’s happening right now and maybe make it a little bigger and invite other restaurants to do the same,” he told Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy.
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To publicize the campaign, Naples Pizza has been posting photos showing hospital employees with their delivered pizzas.
Naples Pizza has been delivering pizzas once a week—at lunchtime and in the evenings—to the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. In a Facebook post, Kruczek invited customers to assist the cause by purchasing gift cards and donating them to hospitals or designating their pizza orders to be delivered to hospital workers.
In announcing his appearance on the Fox News show, Kruzcek posted, “I will use this opportunity for the greater good and hope we can put politics aside for a moment. Healthcare workers are stressed and working hard to treat those in need. Many restaurants are struggling to stay afloat, and many dedicated employees are now out of work. Maybe we can help. If I can drive people to buy gift cards and/or food from their local restaurants, it will help immensely.”
Customers who purchase gift cards or order pies for the hospitals “will be helping two causes with one purchase: those on the hospital front lines and your local businesses,” the post states.
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Naples Pizza said it can feed 20-25 healthcare professionals for every $100 donated.
Naples also launched a website that allows consumers to support their favorite local restaurants by purchasing gift cards.
In the Fox & Friends interview, Kruczek said his sales have gone “way down, probably 50 percent down. We’re trying to keep our staff employed as much as possible … Anything that people can do to kill two birds with one stone—buy some gift cards, buy some food, send it to hospitals—will keep everybody happy.”
