Pizzerias around the country deliver hundreds of cheese pizzas to children’s hospitals today in celebration of National Cheese Pizza Day. Knowing that a slice of pizza can brighten anyone’s day, members of The American Pizza Community (APC) wanted to salute the commemorative holiday by bringing a little joy to children in hospitals around the country.
“Pizza store operators frequently give back to local charities because so many of the 75,000 pizzerias around the country are owned by someone who lives in the community,” said Lynn Liddle, Chair of the APC. “Knowing that a slice of pizza can help bring a smile to the face of a young child in a hospital was a simple request to many of these pizza shop owners,” added Liddle. According to the pizza industry, pizza ranks as the top meal choice among kids year after year.
Pizza stores donated to the following children’s hospitals:
- Domino's Pizza donated to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Godfather's Pizza and Sam & Louie's donated to Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska
- Hungry Howie's donated to the pediatrics’ wards at Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield, Michigan and Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan
- Pizza Hut donated to the Ronald McDonald Houses in Wichita, Kansas
More than 5 billion pizzas are sold each year and cheese pizza remains the leading pizza type in menu mentions, according to the 2013 PizzaPowerState of the Industry report by PMQ Magazine.
About The American Pizza Community
The American Pizza Community is a coalition of the nation’s large and small pizza companies, operators, franchisees, vendors, suppliers and other entities that make up the American pizza industry. The coalition was formed in 2010 to advocate for policies affecting pizza companies and operators including menu and labeling information, fair wages, work opportunity tax credit, background checks, tax policies and small business access to capital.
Current members include Blackjack Pizza, Breadeaux Pizza, California Pizza Kitchen, CiCi's Pizza, Domino’s Pizza, Figaro’s Italian Pizza, Godfather’s Pizza, Hungry Howie’s, Hunt Brothers Pizza, the International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders Association, Little Caesars, Nick-N-Willy’s, Papa John’s Pizza, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Papa's Pizza To-Go, Papa Romano's Pizza, Pieology, Pizza Factory, Pizza Schmizza, Sam & Louie's Pizza and Two Boots. Supplier partners include Coca-Cola, Leprino Foods Company, Middleby Marshall, the National Pork Producers Council, Paradise Tomato Kitchens, PepsiCo and Tyson.
