Members of the United States Pizza Team (USPT) are rallying together to help those in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. This natural disaster exceeded all predictions of strength and ferocity and displaced tens of thousands of Houston, Texas-area citizens from their homes. Members of the USPT want to help them by donating a portion of their pizza restaurant’s sales to the Houston Food Bank on Thursday, September 7.
Twenty-three USPT members with a total of 36 locations have dedicated Thursday to raise money in the “Pizza with a Purpose” fundraiser. The members will donate $2 for every pizza sold in their establishments to the Houston Food Bank. The nonprofit was chosen to ensure that the money is used locally and benefits as many needy residents as possible.
“This team’s members are the first to give you the shirt off their back in competition and in life as well, which is exactly what we are seeing from the citizens in the Houston area and beyond,” USPT coordinator Brian Hernandez said. “This is what our team and our country should be about.”
USPT locations and members participating in Pizza with a Purpose include:
Panino's Pizza (three locations) – Wrigleyville, Park Ridge and Evanston, Ill. (Gino and Lenny Rago, Bruno Brunetti)
Flo's Pizzeria (three locations) – Grand Rapids, Mich. (Dan Uccello)
Mellow Mushroom (one location) – 2318 Lifestyle Way, Chattanooga, Tenn. (Bradley Johnson)
Mad Mushroom (two locations) – Lafayette and West Lafayette, Ind. (Dave Sommers, Rick Wheeler)
Dominic's Italian Restaurant (one location) – Oceanside, Calif. (Tore Trupiano)
Samosky's Homestyle Pizzeria (one location) – Valley City, Ohio (Jason Samosky)
Master Pizza (one location) – 9735 Ravenna Road, Twinsburg, Ohio (Michael LaMarca)
Gelsosomo's (one location) – 11319 Broadway, Crown Point, Ind. (Peter Anderson)
Marabella Old World Pizza (one location) – 1898 Greenville Blvd. SE, Greenville, N.C. (Massimo Mannino and Salvatore Passalacqua)
Bricks Wood Fired Pizza Cafe (six locations) – Northwest Suburbs, Ill. (Giovanni Labbate)
Dempseys Brewery Restaurant & Pub (one location) – Watertown, S.D. (Sean Dempsey)
The Downtown Cafe (one location) – Glen Cove, N.Y. (John Zozzaro)
786° (one location) – Sun Valley, Calif. (Ali Haider)
Sinfully Gluten Free (one location) – Dayton, Ohio (Heather Zook)
Caliente Pizza and Draft House (three locations) – Pittsburgh, Penn. (Nick Bogacz)
The Lamb & The Wolf (mobile food vendor) – Auburn, Calif. (Michael Wolf)
Ynot Italian (seven locations) – Virginia Beach, Va. (Anthony Disilvestro and Michael Reyes-Casanova)
SOL Pie Pizza (one location) – North Canton, Ohio (Will Shaw)
The U.S. Pizza Team is sponsored by American Baking Systems, Paradise Tomato Kitchen, Gordon Food Service, Grain Craft, California Milk Advisory Board, La Nova, SoFo Foods, Bag Solutions, Fontanini, Marsal & Sons, Lillsun, Lloyd Pans, Pivetti, Presto, and Univex.
For more information about the “Pizza with a Purpose” drive or the U.S. Pizza Team, please contact Brian Hernandez at 662-234-5481 x129, or by email at brian@pmq.com. Visit the USPT’s website at www.uspizzateam.com or view the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/USpizzateam.
