By Brian Hernandez
Pizza connects people, linking Friday nights to family rooms, line cooks to late-shift nurses, and strangers to neighbors. That’s the heart of Pizza Across America, a nationwide campaign from Slice Out Hunger that rallies pizzerias to donate and deliver pies to local hunger-relief groups during the week of National Pizza Day, February 9.
Registration for Pizza Across America opens on December 1. Click here to register.
The idea is simple enough to fit on the back of a napkin: Donate and deliver at least 10 pizzas to a nearby shelter, pantry or soup kitchen. That’s it. No spreadsheets, no red tape, just pizza with a purpose. It’s a love story you can write yourself, uniting your community around a common goal of service to people in need. And it’s the kind of hometown news that your local TV stations and newspapers can’t resist if you tell them about it, especially as inflation continues to put individuals and families in a financial bind nationwide.
PMQ Pizza’s U.S. Pizza Team has been proud to stand with Pizza Across America for years. It started in 2017, when Jersey Pizza Boys patriarch Carmine Testa, called Slice Out Hunger founder Scott Wiener with a proposal: What if every pizzeria in America donated pizza on the same day? Testa’s sons, Michael and Nicholas, suggested the idea to their dad after they’d spent some time distributing slices to unhoused people in New York City.
Related: Jersey Pizza Boys: How Carmine Testa Built a TV-Famous Brand
“Carmine had been volunteering with us for years,” Wiener recalls. “He knew we could organize something big.”
That year, Pizza Across America was born, turning Slice Out Hunger from a local New York charity into a coast-to-coast movement with ovens blazing from Hawaii to Maine.
Nearly every state has joined in, although a few—Vermont, West Virginia, and Iowa—are still on Wiener’s hit list. “We’re coming for you,” he jokes.
Why It Works: Small Ask, Big Heart
Pizzerias are natural community hubs. They sponsor little league teams, feed fundraisers, and show up when things get tough. Wiener knew a national campaign had to match that hometown community spirit. “We keep the bar low so it’s easy for busy operators to join,” he says. For a shelter that feeds, say, 40 people, 10 pizzas from a local shop provide essential calories, nutrients, and just as importantly, a joyful, uplifting treat for the soul.
And it spreads fast. Your pizzeria’s staff morale jumps, customers take notice, and local news crews can’t resist a feel-good pizza story. Slice Out Hunger even provides press templates so shops can share the love. “Local press loves good news and pizza stories,” Wiener says. “Put them together and it’s magic.”
Registration for Pizza Across America runs through January 20, with deliveries happening anytime the week of February 9 to 15. Slice Out Hunger will even help match pizzerias with nearby organizations that need support.
Pizzeria operators can sign up early to get free marketing materials, social media templates, and for returning participants, a limited-edition T-shirt—because every hero needs a uniform. The cost is modest: Just deliver 10 pizzas. You can even split deliveries across days or fit them into slower shifts.
“We make sure donations go where they’re truly needed,” Wiener says. “The goal is dignity, not just delivery.” Those connections often outlast the campaign. That’s the real win—lasting community ties.
How to Tell Your Love Story
A competitive pizza team like the USPT might not seem like a natural fit for a charity drive, but as Wiener puts it, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” The U.S. Pizza Team turns skill into service, recruiting new participants, sharing best practices, and delivering more than just food—they deliver hope. “When pizza people come together, we feed more than stomachs,” Wiener says. “We feed communities.”
Operators are encouraged to share their stories online. “Take photos, share quotes, tag #PizzaAcrossAmerica and #SliceOutHunger,” Wiener advises. Slice Out Hunger provides logos, press kits and graphics; “We handle the details so you can handle the dough,” Wiener jokes. The payoff goes beyond publicity: Your team feels good, your customers feel proud, and that energy stays long after the last slice is gone.
Wiener is already thinking ahead. “I’d love to see schools and scout troops get involved,” he says. “Imagine kids learning about food insecurity while delivering pizza. That’s culture-changing stuff.”
To register your pizzeria today, visit www.sliceouthunger.org/paa.
