PITTSBURGH (Aug. 5, 2025) – Vocelli Pizza is proud to announce a new community initiative in partnership with The Jerome Bettis “Bus Stops Here” Foundation – Pizza with Purpose – a collaboration grounded in shared values of community, equity and opportunity.

Founded in 1997 by Super Bowl Champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, The Jerome Bettis “Bus Stops Here” Foundation is committed to empowering underserved youth through education, mentorship and digital literacy.

“When I started The Bus Stops Here Foundation, the goal was simple: to give kids a chance – an opportunity to dream, to learn and to thrive,” said Bettis. “Partnering with Vocelli Pizza brings that mission into more homes, neighborhoods and futures.”

The Jerome Bettis “Bus Stops Here” Foundation provides computer science education to K-8 students as well as digital literacy and business development programs for parents in under-resourced areas of Pittsburgh. Proceeds from Pizza with Purpose will directly support the Foundation’s flagship initiative, Jerome Bettis’ CyberBus, helping to bridge the digital divide and close the opportunity gap for local youth in Pittsburgh and beyond.

In addition to donations, Vocelli Pizza team members will volunteer their time to engage with students and community members, delivering not only delicious, fresh pizza, but also meaningful impact.

“This partnership is truly exciting for Vocelli,” said CEO Toni Bianco. “As a brand born and bred in Pittsburgh, it’s an honor to support former Pittsburgh Steeler and Superbowl Champion, Jerome Bettis and the incredible work his ”Bus Stops Here” Foundation is doing. From our in-store fundraising efforts, where we’ll match customer donations, to our involvement in their annual Christmas Drive and other community events, we’re proud to stand beside The Jerome Bettis “Bus Stops Here” Foundation to help fuel a brighter future.”

Vocelli Pizza is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has over 80 locations offering pizza and other Italian foods for carryout and delivery. The company has realized franchise growth from its award-winning product, low start-up costs and a national marketing program. Vocelli Pizza offers single and multi-unit development packages to qualified franchisees.

SOURCE: Vocelli Pizza

The post Vocelli Pizza Launches ‘Pizza With Purpose’ appeared first on Pizza Today.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

– Helen Keller

I mentioned in last month’s column that it is important to give back to the communities that support us. Pizzerias can do that in a lot of unique ways. We frequently get asked for donations by different organizations and groups. Our goal is to help anyone who asks in any way we can. I am sure every pizzeria has been asked to donate gift cards. I personally think a gift basket with a gift certificate in it makes a much better statement, if done correctly. The basket should be a showstopper that sticks out on a table with other baskets. We make an estimated 8-10 baskets per week. It is a good opportunity not just to give back but also to get our name out there in a grassroots way.

One of the most unique ways we have been able to give back is to make our limited-time offer centered around a nonprofit group with a giving component attached to it. For example, we ran a 60-day campaign called Kora’s Strong Pizza. We had reached out to the Make-a-Wish foundation and asked them ways we could help provide wishes to kids in need. Our goal was to be able to provide for two wishes, which cost about $5,000 per wish. We asked if there were any kids who had a culinary wish. They told us that they had a child named Kora who already had received her wish of swimming with dolphins, but she considered herself a foodie and loved pizza. Kora was diagnosed with cystinosis, a rare genetic disease. We had 7-year-old Kora come in and design a pizza for our limited-time offer. We also reached out to the Pittsburgh Steelers and asked if they had any players looking for community outreach projects.

The Steelers told us that Larry Ogunjobi, their defensive tackle, was new to the team and was looking for ways to get involved with the community. We had both Larry and Kora come in, and we filmed the whole experience. Kora told us her favorite things to eat, then she and Larry came up with a pizza that ultimately consisted of a garlic butter sauce, spinach, cherry tomatoes, olives, roasted chicken, mozzarella and feta cheeses finished with a balsamic drizzle. Quite the palate for a 7-year-old!! We offered the pizza for $24 for a large and gave $10 to Make-A-Wish for every pizza sold.

In getting to know Kora and her family, we discovered that Kora’s mom had written a children’s book inspired by Kora called, “I Am Kora Strong.” Along with selling Kora’s pizza and donating $10 from every one sold, we also bought the books off Amazon and donated those sales back to Make-A-Wish as well. In two months, we exceeded our goal of raising $10,000 and providing two wishes to Make-A-Wish! We also delivered 20 pizzas to Kora’s elementary school, where she felt like a rockstar for the day. She gladly carried some pizzas to the rooms of the other students. This was a widely successful campaign!

In the end, yes, we are just pizza makers – but let’s not forget we can make the world a better place, one slice at a time. Next month, I will tell the story of the campaign that birthed the idea of giving back some of the proceeds.

Nick Bogacz is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh. Instagram: @caliente_pizza

The post Giving Back Matters | Building Blocks appeared first on Pizza Today.

That always stuck with me. Anyone who knows my wife knows she has a servant’s heart and has always been one to help others. Last month I wrote about self-care and ended by saying that sometimes you just need to do something for yourself. I also said that if you don’t think you deserve it, then to do something nice for someone else.

I believe we have a social responsibility to the communities that support us. Whether it be the homeless who live around our pizzerias or the little league baseball teams looking for a donation to buy a new scoreboard, it’s our privilege to help. I truly believe in giving not to get but giving to help and spread love. Once that is established, you know you are helping and giving in the right way.

In the beginning, I struggled with being a business that received recognition for our giving; that was not the reason we were donating our goods. Once I realized that I was doing it from the heart, I quickly realized that leveraging it makes it better for both the organization we are helping and our business. There are still times that we give in silence and don’t advertise it. I just have realized that bringing awareness to an organization’s needs through our social channels is a good thing.

It can be overwhelming due to all the donations that a pizzeria gets asked for. I thought it would be helpful to list our schools of thought on how we handle those requests.

The first one to address is the request for free pizza. We donate pizzas case by case. We usually do not ever donate more than 20 pizzas to one event. We do make exceptions if they warrant it. We also offer a discount on pizzas to organizations on a case-by-case basis.

Asking questions usually will help with those decisions. I like to ask how many people are being fed, what is the cause, do you have official non-profit status, etc. Any type of questions like that will help.

We also get asked a lot for monetary donations. I usually ask if I can give a gift basket to raffle off instead. I do make exceptions if it’s an ad in a program for a school function. I ask for pictures of the events that the baskets are going to so we can make a post on our social media accounts talking about the organization and their event.

Next month, we will continue talking about ways we give that are a win-win to all involved.

Nick Bogacz is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh. Instagram: @caliente_pizza

The post Giving for Good | Building Blocks appeared first on Pizza Today.

How Do We Donate?

We all get donation requests. Your local T-ball team needs to sell pizza slices to buy new uniforms. A spaghetti dinner is raising money for a family in need. Emergency responders are braving fires and storms. So, do we donate to them all? Yep, we sure do! If a request comes from a cause or event within our community, we donate in some capacity.

What Do We Donate?

Strictly pizza, breadsticks or a set-up at a local event. We do not donate cash to any event or charity – with one heartfelt exception. In 2024, we lost a beloved previous employee. To honor his love of music, we donated a portion of sales from his favorite pizza to fund children’s music lessons through a local music store.

How Do We Manage It?

All donation requests go through our website. Due to the number of requests, we now manage it centrally. Previously, individual stores handled donations, but now we track where our contributions go and ensure we’re present at key community events.

Community Events Matter

In 2024, we attended 10 community events – parades, trunk or treats, fraternity car washes, cancer walks, homelessness awareness initiatives and feeding pizza at the shelter. At these events, we set up branded tents, tables and delivery vehicles, serving free pizza in branded boxes with a bounce-back coupon (usually for a free order of breadsticks or a personal pizza).

Even after 27 years in business, we’re always shocked by how many people have never tried our food. These events introduce us to new customers in a way that traditional advertising can’t.

The ROI of Giving It Away

So, what was the return on all this generosity?

• $8,800 worth of 14-inch and 18-inch 1-topping pizzas donated to events, parades and shelters.
• 1,800 free slice and/or breadsticks coupons handed out (249 of those coupons were redeemed).
• Total estimated cost: $11,000 (including labor).

The result? 9,556 more orders than the previous year and a 10% increase in sales at all locations. Nearly all of this growth came from our community presence (not advertising), since we spend less than $1,000 per year on traditional ads.

Your Turn

Try giving it away. Attend a few local events, hand out free slices with a bounce-back coupon and watch your order count rise. We’ve yet to attend a community event where another pizzeria showed up – so go ahead, outshine your competition!

Zachary Black is the chief experience officer at Jason’s NY Pizza in Maine.

The post Why giving away pizza builds community and sales for pizzerias appeared first on Pizza Today.

Hawaii has been hit by unprecedented wildfires this August, destroying entire communities on Maui and Big Island. Slice Out Hunger needs your help to make sure people don’t need to worry about their next meal as they work to stay safe and rebuild. Help us raise $10k to support Mercy Chefs in their work feeding those effected by the wildfires.

Participating pizzerias across the U.S. are featuring Hawaiian Pizzas now through September with 15% of sales benefiting our Hawaiian Relief Fund. Check out the map below to see which pizzerias in your area are participating or sign up using the registration form if you manage a pizzeria.

*Donations are tax deductible

The post Hawaiian Fires: Pizza Relief appeared first on Pizza Today.