12 DAYS OF PIZZA CHARITABLE PROGRAM
CHARITABLE EFFORTS
12 Days of Pizza
It was the day before Christmas Break. Sean Covel, Producer of NAPOLEON DYNAMITE and THE 12 DOGS OF CHRISTMAS, was having lunch with a 2nd grade teacher in his South Dakota hometown. He asked if her kids were excited for break and she paused. She told Sean that only about 1/2 of her 25-kid class were excited for Christmas break. The other 12 kids were nervous…
Our schools do an incredible job of taking care of food insecure kids. They provide breakfast and lunch programs all school year and throughout the summer. The Backpack program provides food to make it though each weekend. But schools close down completely for the 12 days of Christmas break. At a time that means abundance for many, these kids only felt uncertainty.
That day, Sean connected with Steve Cronin and Terri Larsen – owners of the Rapid City Pizza Ranch and FIVE MINUTES later Pizza Ranch was IN. In that moment The 12 Days of Pizza came to life.
In year one of the project, The 12 Days of Pizza provided 144 meals to 12 area families.
In year two, the project expanded to five cities, providing nearly 600 meals.
The goal of year three was to provide 1200 meals.
…but things got a little bigger than expected…
The 12 Days of Pizza Project caught on with Pizza Ranch franchise owners across the midwest and they, along with their home-town business partners, supplied more than the goal of 1200 meals.
They supplied over 12,000.
THE IMPACT
In the 1st year of the project, 12 families in the Black Hills of South Dakota were provided 12 meals over the 12 days of holiday break. This amounted to 144 meals in total.
In the 2nd year, the project expanded to include the South Dakota towns of Rapid City, Sturgis, Spearfish and Deadwood; supplying 48 families with nearly 600 consistent meals over the holiday break.
The target for year 3 was 100 families receiving 1200 meals.
…but things got a little bigger than expected…
The 12 Days of Pizza Project caught on with Pizza Ranch franchise owners across the midwest and they, along with their home-town business partners, supplied more than the goal of 1200 meals.
They supplied over 12,000.
2019 marks the 5th year of the program, and the number of meals will be greater than ever before.
And it all happens at a small town community level.