Pittsburgh's Caliente Pizza & Draft House donates pies to Light of Life
Hope starts with a meal.
Those were the words of Doug Smith, director of development for Light of Life Rescue Mission on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Friday as he watched residents enjoy slices of pizza from Pittsburgh-based Caliente Pizza & Draft House as 40 extra-large pizzas (approximately 480 slices) were delivered to the mission on Friday.
“That one meal just might be the one thing that helps a person step out of the place they are in,” said Smith. “Without our donors and volunteers and support from businesses like Caliente Pizza we would not be able to do what we do in the recovery world.”
Ahead of National Pizza Day on Sunday, pizzerias across the country are feeding the hungry through the Pizza Across America program. Caliente’s is part of a team called World Pizza Champions, a multinational nonprofit made up of “elite pizza professionals” who are “dedicated to promoting pizza making as a respected craft and viable career choice,” as described on their website.
“We were invited to join the WPC team last year, so we’re proud to bring this new tradition to Pittsburgh on National Pizza Day,” said Nick Bogacz, founder of Caliente Pizza, in a statement. “As someone who has personally struggled with addiction, I applaud Light of Life for its incredible work in the community and to those who find hope at the local mission. The least we can do is donate warm pizza pies as we join the fight to feed the hungry.”
Bogacz of Hampton certainly understands the work of the mission. At age 17 he began drinking and that led him to drugs and to a place where “I was losing everything,” he said. “I had no car, no wife, no kids, no job, no cellphone. But I got counseling and I got clean.”
He will be 15 years sober in October.
“It is so important to give back,” he said. “I feel blessed. I experienced the struggle with addiction so coming to Light of Life, this particular organization was close to my heart. You never grow up saying you want to grow up and be addicted. You try something and before you know it you are in full blown addiction. I learned I can’t just do it once. There is a struggle. It is either all or none for me and none it has become for me and it’s the decision to change my life.”
“We are all one or two decisions away from being in their position,” Smith said.
Caliente’s brought white, mushroom, pepperoni, sausage and cheese pies.
Light of Life opens its dining hall to its residents and outside guests and can serve more than 100 meals on any given day.
Light of Life is a local Christian nonprofit organization that provides recovery programs, food and shelter for food-insecure and homeless populations in Pittsburgh.
Stay warm today #Pittsburgh! Beat the snow with a warm slice of pizza! pic.twitter.com/tDlPNlRpIy
— Caliente Draft House (@calientepdrafth) February 7, 2020
Caliente joins more than 40 other pizzerias making deliveries to their local food bank or homeless shelter this weekend.
World Pizza Champion Carmine Testa of New Jersey developed the project to share pizza love nationwide.
He said it is an important way for pizzerias, who primarily depend on local customers, to give back and support their communities at the local level.
“We love what we do, and we love sharing what we do in a way that makes National Pizza Day about feeding hungry people – rather than just a celebration of great pizza,” Testa said in a statement.
Caliente Pizza & Draft House is known for its roster of gourmet pizzas and craft beers.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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