LaRosa's helping to reduce food insecurity via holiday Buddy Card sales

For Michael LaRosa, hunger as a perennial issue in Greater Cincinnati is devastating.
 
“It’s heartbreaking to see Cincinnati consistently ranked high on the list for the number of residents facing food insecurity,” LaRosa said.
 
As CEO of a popular and local restaurant, he says it’s empowering and important for him to be able to do his part in helping to make a change.
 
“It’s important for those who have the opportunity to help fight hunger in our community to do so because of the scope of the issue,” LaRosa said. “One in six people in the Tri-State are hungry, and more than 94,000 of them are children.”

To help remedy hunger, particularly around the holidays when families are even more strapped for cash, LaRosa’s Pizzeria launched its annual Feed Our Neighbors in Need program, during which it sells $10 Buddy Cards and donates $5 from each sale to the Freestore Foodbank.

Last year alone, LaRosa's donated nearly $40,000, enabling the Freestore Foodbank to provide 120,000 meals to those in need. 
 
“Hunger is not some distant issue that can be ignored; it’s pertinent in our own communities, from the child your daughter plays with at recess to the elderly man down the street,” LaRosa said.
 
Since November, the restaurant has been collecting half of its Buddy Card profits to donate at the culmination of the program on Dec. 31.
 
“Most of us would not hesitate to help a neighbor who we knew fell upon hard times,” LaRosa said. “But it’s often difficult for people to speak up and ask for help. By providing support this holiday season, we’re giving hope and nourishment to our neighbors who are silently struggling.” 

Do Good:

•    Purchase a Buddy Card at your local LaRosa's. You'll receive 14 buy one, get one free coupons for a large pizza and benefit the Freestore Foodbank in the process. 

•    Learn about other opportunities LaRosa's offers to the community with regard to giving back.

•    Support the Freestore Foodbank by donating today.