Fox Meadow Third Grader Distributes 300 Pizzas for a Smile

A third grader from Fox Meadow School gave out 300 pizzas on December 19 to those in need. The pizzas were distributed from a truck and given away at Saint Joseph's Medical Center in Yonkers, at Hope, New Rochelle, and at the Church of St. Bernard in White Plains.

The donation, sponsored by the Saint Pio Foundation (aka The People of Hope), a Tuckahoe based not-for-profit organization, is part of the national initiative “Pizza for a Smile,” which aims at providing more than food: it is a way to forge community spirit and generate smiles, enabling the disadvantaged families to receive nourishing food in a family-like spirit of care and support. More than 2,000 pizzas have been donated nationwide since the initiative was launched from Los Angeles, on November 1, 2023.

Besides pizzas, donations included 300 boxes of Italian taralli snacks and mini panettones, in line with the Italian tradition.

Picture above: a bright, contagious smile from a woman receiving her pizza during the distribution at the Saint Joseph's Medical Center, in Yonkers, NY

Eight year-old Sebastian Lamonarca is the local Ambassador-at-Large of the initiative. “By sharing 300 pizzas, and other gifts like the taralli snacks and mini panettone, the Saint Pio Foundation intends to change the way we bring nourishment to those in need," said Founder and CEO Luciano Lamonarca. "We strive to feed not only the body but also the soul of those who are hungry. A pizza provides both nourishment and comfort, and we could not be prouder to borrow from our Italian culture and cuisine to help those that face significant hardships and spiritual challenges."

“Pizza for a Smile” is an initiative that intends to provide pizzas to those who experience the daily alienation so common to living a life of poverty in a materialistic world, and that can result in lives that are changed in meaningful ways that go far beyond the benefits of providing a single meal.

More information can be found at https://pizzaforasmile.org/