By Morgan Cook (’22)

This week’s inspiring story takes us just a few states away, where in a pizzeria located in New York, staff have developed a unique idea for their pizza boxes. What’s the point of decorations or wasteful advertisements when you can use the hundreds and hundreds of cardboard packages to help get dogs at local shelters adopted? Amherst’s “Just Pizza and Wings Co.” has created a partnership with Niagara SPCA in order to put pictures of dogs up for adoption directly onto their pizza boxes. The photos are meant to melt the hearts of customers, but the free $50 gift cards given out to those who adopt a dog from the Niagara SPCA provide even more incentive for buyers to also become owners. So far, it’s been nothing but a hit. Social media and news outlets that stream nationally are displaying their support for the kind-hearted decision and initiative that was taken by both the pizza shop and shelter. Not only has this impacted the cause that the Niagara SPCA fights for, but it has also brought a significant amount of attention to the pizza itself. Some people even purchase the pizza simply to see the dog on the front. With the large success of this partnership, other pizzerias have also started mimicking the idea for themselves. The success of the movement has been proven through the increased numbers of young puppies finding themselves a forever home around the area. Just Pizza and Wings Co. is now attempting to raise even more awareness to the cause by selling t-shirts labeled “Pizza + Pups”. This story proves that changing the world comes in an infinite number of shapes and sizes. There are so many causes to be dedicated to, trends to be created, and ideas to be generated  and who knows? The partnerships you may develop could also lead to helping you in the process – for what goes around comes around.

Corbley, McKinley. “This Pizzeria Has Been Attaching Photos of Adoptable Shelter Animals to Their Delivery Boxes.” Good News Network, 4 Mar. 2020, http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/pizzeria-attaches-photos-of-shelter-dogs-to-delivery-boxes/.