Slice, the innovative tech platform powering America’s local pizzerias, has once again partnered with Pizza to the Polls in its efforts to support democracy and feed hungry people while they wait in what are expected to be record-setting lines at the polls.
As Pizza to the Polls receives reports of long wait times, Slice will connect the nonprofit organization with a local Slice partner shop to complete the order and deliver to that location. Pizzerias are paid for the pizzas through funds raised by Pizza to the Polls, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that voters don’t get hungry and leave the polls without voting.
By partnering with Slice this election season, Pizza to the Polls enhances its community-oriented mission by supporting neighborhood pizzerias as it supplies pizza to polling locations across the country.
Slice’s unique tech platform and national footprint of more than 13,000 pizzerias in 3,000 cities makes it a uniquely qualified partner to quickly support Pizza to the Polls’ efforts as reports of long waits come in. Slice has partnered with Pizza to the Polls since 2016, including on Pizza vs. Pandemic, an initiative launched earlier this year that continues to feed frontline care workers while providing sizable orders to independent pizzerias, now in all 50 states.
“We are proud to partner with Pizza to the Polls this election year to help connect long lines and hungry voters with a slice from their neighborhood pizza shop,” said Slice Founder and CEO Ilir Sela. “With socially-distanced long lines expected this year, we’re doing our part to match democracy with support for our local small businesses.”
“Hunger is the last thing that should hurt our elections,” Pizza to the Polls co-founder Scott Duncombe said. “Our mission is to create the same enthusiasm that brought everyone to the polling site in the first place. Thanks to our volunteers and partners like Slice, we’re making it happen.”
Slice’s underlying mission—keep local thriving—is at the core of all its offerings. This announcement adds to a number of initiatives Slice has launched to help small businesses since the start of the pandemic. Last month, Slice launched Slice Accelerate, a new ongoing program that will initially include 100 nominated shops that will receive $15,000 each worth of technology and services to strengthen their businesses. The initiative will help to make the pizzerias pandemic-proof and set up for future success by enabling them to compete against big pizza franchises and the predatory practices of third-party apps.
Also in September 2020, Slice announced that more than 1,000 of its partner shops had signed up for Slice Delivery, an add-on service for shops without in-house delivery that also allows the pizzeria to set its own delivery pricing. Slice was also one of the first to add contact-free delivery and cash-free ordering into its product to keep both restaurant workers and customers safe.