For what is considered one of the most powerful civilized countries in the world, it’s hard to believe that so many Americans go hungry.
“Even in the world’s greatest food-producing nation, children and adults face poverty and hunger in every county across America,” Feeding America reports.
They say more than 41 million Americans struggle with hunger, which works out to about one in seven Americans.
What’s almost just as disturbing is that the United States wastes about $160 billion worth of food each year.
“In the developed world, food is more abundant but it costs much less,”Rosa Rolle, an expert on food waste and loss at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization told the New York Times. “In a sense, people don’t value food for what it represents.”
What’s even more disturbing than all of that is that there have been many reports and claims that world hunger can be solved but the governments of the world don’t seem to prioritize such things.
And most restaurants would shun a hungry or homeless person looking for food.
Some even call the police. But not the Little Caesars in Fargo, ND. The pizza shop is doing their part to end hunger in their neighborhood
They make sure that they aren’t wasteful and that any extra food they have goes to the homeless.
Mike Stevens, who owns the franchise with his wife Jenny Stevens, says he was confused the first time he saw a homeless person rummaging through their trash looking for food.
He thought they were employees of another nearby business but then he realized that they were needy and looking for their next meal.
“It’s kind of sad when you see people going through the dumpster looking for food,” Mike told the Grand Forks Herald said. “In a place like Fargo where we have a great economy and a lot of abundance, it still happens here.”
He not only wanted to feed the hungry in his neighborhood but he was also hoping to bring them some dignity.
Mike decided to invite the hungry in for some free pizza.
“Don’t feel embarrassed if you’re hungry and you don’t want to do what others do, you know stand on the corner for handouts,” General Manager Michelle Lussier told Valley News Live. “You feel down about that, you’re more than welcome to come here and grab a couple slices.”
Mike posted the following sign on the window of his business:
“To the person going through our trash for their next meal,
You’re a human being and worth more than a meal from a dumpster. Please come in during operating hours for a couple of slices of hot pizza and a cup of water at no charge. No questions asked.”
At first, he was nervous over how his paying customers would react but soon realized that it was all for naught.
“We have never one time had a negative comment about it, only positives,” he said.
They provide free pizza to the Salvation Army, New Life Center, And Moorhead’s Dorothy Day House.
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