Not just a pizza!

Pizzeria Puts Pictures Of Shelter Dogs On Pizza Boxes To Help Them Get Adopted

March 5, 2020
Reprinted from Facebook

Just Pizza & Wing Co. store in Amherst, New York wowed the public after coming out with a brilliant new concept to help dogs in need. The pizza joint began to attach flyers featuring adoptable dogs to all of its cardboard delivery boxes – something in order to ensure that the dogs get a chance to find their forever homes.

The owner of the franchise, Mary Alloy, was struck with the genius idea after she began to volunteer with her three kids at the Niagara Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). There, she was exposed to Kimberly LaRussa, an SPCA event coordinator, and the two women started to brainstorm ways in which they could further help the dogs in need.

As Mary explained to CNN, “Kimberly texted me one night and was like: ‘Hey, what would you think about putting pictures of the dogs on pizza boxes?’ and I just couldn’t wait. We are all animal lovers here, so I got permission from the franchise to do it and immediately got to work.”

It was then that the idea was put into practice. The pizzeria would even go on to include a $50 gift certificate for Just Pizza & Wing Co. to anyone who actually adopts one of the shelter dogs featured on the pizza box flyers.

Needless to say, there were many in the community who were on board with the idea and were “absolutely loving it.” Since the launch of the idea, the pizzeria has gone through 500 boxes. On top of that, One six-month-old puppy named Larry found a new home within a day of the new launch.

Kimberly was overwhelmed, saying, “We’ve had a tremendous amount of interest and support from the community and beyond since the story went viral on Friday. Many people want to order a pizza just to get the shelter dog photo, other pizzerias have offered to put flyers on their pizza boxes, and so many people are tagging their friends and family.”

However, Mary’s philanthropy knows no bounds. She is also actively involved with hospice care, non-profit medical organizations, autism centers, children’s hospitals, and animal shelters throughout the Buffalo area.

She explained, “I try to do whatever I can for other organizations who need help. We have donation boxes all over the store. Anything I can do to the help the community, I’m going to do it.”

Unfortunately, Mary couldn’t stick to her volunteer work for the SPCA because it conflicted with her business. But she does still assist the charity by catering their events.

“That’s just the kind of person she is. We are so grateful to Mary and Just Pizza,” Kimberly revealed.

It turns out that Mary’s idea created a trend – Papa Louie’s Italian Kitchen & Motocross Cafe in Ohio did the same thing with their pizza boxes and gave Mary credit for why they did it.

Mary’s pizzeria plans to continue the adoption flyers. According to Kimberly, Mary’s business will be adding adoptable cats to the list of adoption flyers in the future.