Pizza shop in Salisbury gives back with the help of the community

For the second time in just a few days, boxes of non-perishable food items are taking up space at The Pizza Mill in Salisbury, N.B.

They are part of a “food-raiser” that has pulled the community together in support of the Salisbury Helping Hands Food Bank.

“We really wanted to make it overwhelming,” said pizza shop owner, David Kitchen. “We’ve been running it for a week. I took a load down to the food bank, just down the road here on Monday. They were completely overwhelmed by how much we brought in.”

The idea behind the initiative is simple; people receive a $20 gift card to the pizzeria in return for a full box of non-perishable items.

“We thought if we’re going to ask people to do more, we better be able to do more ourselves,” he said.

However, the good will of the gift cards and extra incentive to participate in the “food-raiser” has inspired some people to keep paying it forward.

“One couple came in, and they brought in two boxes, so we gave them their $40 gift cards. They took the gift cards from the lady at the cash and they had a Christmas card in an envelope in the box they were donating, they took the card out, put the gift certificates with it and said, ‘Make sure this goes with it,’” shared Kitchen. “That’s happened half a dozen times already.” 

In just a matter of days, the “food-raiser” surpassed its original goal of filling the shelves at the Salisbury Helping Hands Food Bank and the generosity isn’t stopping yet. Kitchen says the initiative will continue until the end of November.

“There’s a lot of food coming in, there’s a lot of supplies, products for woman, which I know are needed,” he said. “There’s never too much. You can’t get too much.”

Right now the shelves at the food bank are full, a sight that gives those at Salisbury Helping Hands a sense of relief, especially as the demand in the community is there.

“Through our meetings I’ve been told that the need for the food bank and the services that we provide have grown by 10 to 15 per cent each month,” said Laura Sherwood, the vice president of Salisbury Helping Hands Food Bank.

“We see an increase. We know that through COVID it was extremely needed. We know now, that it is still extremely needed,” she said.

The first drop from The Pizza Mill has already been unloaded and is ready to be given out to those in need in the community.

“I believe there were 17 good sized boxes, filled with food, as well as 10 boxes besides,” said Sherwood. “I am amazed because our shelves have been so well stocked, so I’m not really sure how to express our gratitude, not just to Dave Kitchen and The Pizza Mill, but also to the community that have taken on this initiative.”

Thanks to the “food-raiser,” the food bank doesn’t have to use its own money to re-stock the shelves right now.

“We just want to be here to serve, to give, to respond,” said Sherwood.

Although it’s taken the entire community to come together for this initiative, Sherwood says Salisbury often steps up.

“We have schools, we have churches, we have community groups that are collecting food and donating,” she said.

On top of The Pizza Mill, which says more initiatives will be planned in the future, Sherwood says Here We Grow Daycare, Extreme Doors and Windows, Salisbury Lions Club, Salisbury Legion, The National Tire Distributors and Dan’s Damages often support and give back to Helping Hands as well.