Madison, Wisconsin, is sometimes identified with liberal causes and bleeding hearts, but an area couple is putting their pizza-making skills where their values are by creating made-to-order frozen pizzas to help reduce homelessness and hunger in their Badger State county.
The Capital Times reports that Uncle E's Pizza is a food truck and a prayer-in-action carried out by churchgoers and poverty advocates Kelly Erdman and his wife, Lori. Their motto, "feeding the hungry, physically and spiritually," explains their plans to fund hunger initiatives in partnership with local food pantries like Second Harvest in Madison and Sunshine Place in Sun Prairie. The Erdmans, who attend Living Water Church, have taken Biblical admonitions to feed the flock to heart. On July 29 they took their truck out to deliver about 150 frozen premade pizzas that had been ordered previously, raising $500 for the United Way of Dane County.
"We have 60 some pizzas more we have to make this week and deliver next week," Lori Erdman said. "We can't keep up with the demand." The Erdman's, day job at Madison's TASC (Total Administrative Services Corporation), connects them to additional philanthropic causes. Uncle E's offers specialties like the pulled pork pizza with barbecue sauce and the "Burgertime" pie, with ground beef, bacon, onions and extra cheddar cheese along with "free-range breakfast pizzas." All pizzas are 12 inches around and feature Kelly Erdman's "homemade, crispy, cracker-like crust."
Read more about how pizza can be spiritual food in Madison, Wisconsin.