Imagine the change we, as an industry, could enact if we put our collective might behind a common cause. The pizza business is a $38 billion juggernaut. We’re 70,000 strong. We serve more than five billion pizzas annually, and we represent the hardest working, most community-oriented segment in all of food service.

Think about it — an industry as robust as ours pushing in the same direction to make the world a better place.

The time is now.

Breast cancer is a disease that impacts all of us in one way or another. If you don’t personally know someone who has suffered from it, consider yourself fortunate. The sad fact of the matter is that more than 190,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2011. Around 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year. That’s approximately 110 breast cancer deaths daily.

What does this have to do with your pizzeria?

Here at Pizza Today, we believe that America’s 70,000 pizzerias are in position to make a profound impact on their communities and the lives of their customers. When we do that, imagine the goodwill we, as an industry, will generate.

But goodwill alone is not enough to end a disease. That’s why we have created Slice of Hope. Turn to page 21 of this issue and you’ll see an ad announcing this innovative pizza industry charity event. Pizza Today publisher Pete Lachapelle and I, along with Art Director Josh Keown and a handful of pizzeria owners and friends, are going to cycle from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington October 4-7.
The event is designed to raise breast cancer awareness nationwide.

During Slice of Hope, we’re going to talk up the pizza industry to anyone who cares to listen. When we get press coverage, we’re going to make sure to point out the fact that this charge is being led by America’s pizzerias. We’re going to show how much this industry gives back.

And that’s where you come in. Can you donate 10 percent, or more, of your single-day sales on Friday, Oct. 7? If you can, we’ll send you a Slice of Hope sticker to hang in your window. When thousands of pizzerias across the country have the Slice of Hope logo on their front doors or windows, consumers are going to take notice. And they’re going to thank you for it.

In the meantime, I thank you in advance for jumping into this fight with us. Every dollar we raise will be given to the Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation, which is volunteer staffed and will give 100 percent of its Slice of Hope proceeds to four of the nation’s most promising and effective breast cancer research labs.

In future months, I’ll give you more details as the Slice of Hope event draws closer. Among other things, I’ll tell you how you can make your tax-deductible donation when the time comes.

Lastly, if you have ideas for the event or know of a unique way you can help out, I want to hear from you. Email me at [email protected].

Best,

Jeremy White, editor-in-chief
[email protected]