Pizza for a Smile

The goal is to enlist several participating pizzerias and restaurants owners across the United States, who understand that the presentation of fresh food, prepared using time and talent, to those who experience the daily alienation so common to living a life of poverty in a materialistic world, can result in lives that are changed in meaningful ways that go far beyond the benefits of providing a single meal.

With pizzas in hand, the two kids gave the pizza maker the biggest smiles anyone has ever seen, and sat next to each other on a park bench, enjoying their fragrant and delicious pizzas.
It was in that moment of harmony, created by the sharing of food, that Sebastian's father was inspired to develop an initiative that would offer pizzas as a way to nurture people in need, and that not only would nourish the body, but also would lift the spirit. 

In March 2023, Sebastian and his father watched the entire series of the Netflix popular series called “Chef Table: Pizza.” It presented four world-famous pizza chefs, who had reinvented the way pizza is created and served. The headliner of the program was Chris Bianco.
With the naïvete that only a child could have, he asked his father if he could meet Chris. It was at that moment that Sebastian's father began to ask himself, “What if Chris Bianco, perhaps the most famous Pizza maker in America, would become a part of the initiative?”

Thanks to mutual friends, Sebastian and his father were finally able to meet the legendary Chris Bianco, who welcomed them at his famous pizzeria in Phoenix. After Chris heard their vision for the project, he readily agreed to become its spokesperson, and it was on that day that the initiative finally had its name: “Pizza for a Smile”.

From its humble origins in the 16th century as food for the common man, the first pizza ever made, the Margherita pizza, consisted of dough, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese, and today it has become the most popular food in the world. It is associated with celebration and good times, and when prepared using fresh ingredients, it is a nourishing food choice that offers healthy carbohydrates and protein at an affordable price.

Among the many benefits that a pizza provides, are these:

1. It reduces loneliness. The personal presentation of a gift of food that requires time and talent for its preparation from fresh ingredients satisfies the soul. Loneliness is one of the most pernicious forces at work in modern society. Studies produced by Brigham Young University and the Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health at the University of Pittsburgh reveal that technological tools such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, which have been promoted as the way to keep us all connected, actually increase the sense of loneliness and isolation among those who make extensive use of them. There is a growing hunger in society for real flesh-and-blood friends, who actually care enough to be physically present and to help in tangible ways.
2. It feeds people. An average 10-inch Margherita pizza contains about 700 calories, or one-third of the daily calorie requirement of an adult, and it is not laden with unhealthy ingredients often found in other kinds of pizza. Recently, New York City nutritionist Chelsey Amer, MS, RDN, CDN, observed that pizza is an excellent and balanced source of protein and carbohydrates that satisfies one’s appetite far longer than do sugary snacks.
3. Its achievements are measurable. Accountability of non-profit organizations to their donors is important. When they promise to make good use of contributed funds, donors want to be sure that their contributions will be put to their highest and best use. That’s why it is important to point out to ambassadors and individual donors, who give generously and who want to help in the most effective way, that 100% of their donations will actually be used to purchase pizzas for delivery to needy families.

So please consider making a donation today to this campaign that embodies care and instills hope. For the price of a few cups of coffee, you can make a real difference in the life of a person that awaits the help that only you can give.