News

&pizza, Pizza Hut give great feeds + reads, to hospital workers, school kids

&pizza and Pizza Hut have undertaken campaigns to feed hospital workers and give some great "reads" to kids (Photo: &pizza).

April 14, 2020

Pizza chains continue to step up to honor, feed and enrich health-care workers and kids in need of meals amid the closures necessitated by COVID-19. Pizza Hut and &pizza, based in Washington D.C., launched two major initiatives this week. 

&pizza's Hero Kitchens are pushing out the pies for hospital workers (photo provided).

In the case of &pizza, it has partnered with the global bank, Citi, to power what the brand is calling its "Hero Kitchens," according to a news release. Designed to provide emotional support and physical sustenance to frontline hospital employees, the program is delivering 100,000 free pies as part of &pizza's Hero Pie Program. The initiative was first launched on a smaller scale in March to provide thousands of free pizzas to hospital employees in and around the brand's stores. 

Now, with Citi's support, &pizza is taking the program to the Philadelphia and Baltimore markets as well as converting select stores into Hero Kitchens, which will be completely dedicated to producing pies for hospitals. 

&pizza's Astor Place location in New York will be the first Hero Kitchen powered by Citi, but jointly all the kitchens are expected to make more than 100,000 free pies for hospital workers.

"These are perplexing times, and we all have to decide how we will respond to unprecedented adversity," &pizza Founder Michael Lastoria said in the release. "At &pizza we made our choice. We're doubling down on what we've always said we stand for — standing with our communities, doing our part to lift up those who have always lifted us. Once we had taken care of our workers, the next step was clear — take care of those with the most urgent need right now, frontline workers."

To participate in the Hero Pie Program, customers may text #feedthem to 200-03 to place an order for delivery.

Pizza Hut has launched the "Read & Feed Program," which will give 250,000 personal pan pizzas to students and provide $500,000 in grants to educators through its nonprofit partner, First Book. With the grants, Pizza Hut, First Book and First Book-eligible BOOK IT educators may order books or other educational resources for students where they receive essential services.

Beginning April 22, 10,000 First Book orders will go to educators along with 25 Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza certificates to be given to students. Teachers can visit FirstBook.org to apply for a grant. 

"This crisis exacerbates the inequities that already exist," Kyle Zimmer, First Book co-founder and CEO, said in a news release. "Children in affluent schools can stay at home and continue their schoolwork via online curriculum and home libraries. But, children from low-income families rely on school for meals and they don't have access to the internet or books in their homes. They need our help now. … The Read & Feed Program will help keep so many children in need from falling behind at this unprecedented time. This is what corporate leadership looks like."

Know a great story about a brand giving back? Tell us about it here.