Big 'thank you': Cheswick resident and pizza shop owner feeds health care workers during National Nurses Week
Arslan “Allen” Ovezgylyjov came to the U.S. from Turkmenistan, central Asia, in 2008 in search of a better life.
“I can’t say thanks enough to be living in the United States and to have my business and my family here,” said the Cheswick resident. “I have made a life here, and I was welcomed here. Things have been good for me. That’s why I decided during this stressful time to give back.”
Ovezgylyjov, who owns three Papa Allen’s Pizza shops in Springdale, Downtown Pittsburgh and West Virginia, has committed to serving 1,000 meals of plain and pepperoni pizza to healthcare workers in Western Pennsylvania this week.
With it being National Nurses Week as well as it happening during Ramadan made it the perfect time to do it, he said. Ramadan is a Muslim holy month marked by fasting from dawn to sunset that ends with the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
He and his employees have prepared food for workers at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, Harrison, Allegheny General Hospital on Pittsburgh’s North Side, J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., and HarmarVillage Care Center in Harmar.
They will be bringing lunch to UPMC Mercy hospital in Uptown Pittsburgh on Thursday. He packs each huge slice of pizza separately.
“I want to show my appreciation,” he said. “This is a time to support each other. It’s my time to pay it forward.”
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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