A team of three police organizations in Toms River, New Jersey, gave residents a slice of hope during the coronavirus pandemic by purchasing 300 pizzas for their community under a statewide stay-at-home order.
“Pizza is unique,” Officer Jesse Robertazzi tells CNN. “A large pie can feed a family of four, potentially. It’s circular and brings everyone together to pull a slice off to eat.”
Robertazzi said he hoped Pizza Day would give families and businesses that slice of hope in uncertain times.
“For families, it gave them a sense of normality by getting out the house and getting into their favorite pizza shop” to pick up the pies (not to sit down and eat), the father of two tells CNN.
And for the pizzerias, the officers hoped to give business owners a sense of normalcy in a time of social distancing.
Robertazzi was inspired to organize Pizza Day after seeing a similar event on Facebook put on by his colleagues in a nearby town.
“I said, ‘Why can’t we do that?'”
Several phone calls later, and Pizza Day was born. The pizzas were prepared and served across six local pizza shops and ready by lunchtime — first come, first served, and one per family.
One pizza parlor went “above and beyond” by throwing in a side of garlic knots with every order. All the shops ran out of the free pies in 90 minutes.
“To give back to the community who are out of work and struggling at the time — it gets them a free meal. It’s one free meal, and it’s something,” Robertazzi said.