EDITOR’S NOTE: Happy National Pizza Month! This October, we are celebrating America’s favorite food and the people who make it by featuring pizzerias that give back to their communities. To have your pizzeria included, email [email protected] and [email protected] with the subject line “Pizzeria Community Impact.”
Old Scratch Pizza
Centerville, Ohio
oldscratchpizza.com
For Old Scratch Pizza, “being a great neighborhood pizzeria means being an active part of the neighborhood itself.” That belief compels the four-location pizza company to run Cones for a Cause, a community grant fund fueled by customers who order soft serve ice cream.
“To date, the program has raised and donated more than $328,000 to local nonprofits,” says Clare Lowry, marketing manager at Old Scratch Pizza. “In 2025 alone, we’ll distribute $60,000 in grants to six organizations making a real impact across the Dayton region.”
Lowry explains that Old Scratch looks to support small and mid-sized nonprofit groups dedicated to food insecurity, education, housing insecurity, addiction services, animal welfare and human equality. This year, Cones for a Cause grantees include:
Miami Valley Meals: Provides chef-prepared meals for those facing food insecurity.
SICSA Pet Adoption & Wellness Center: Offers low-cost community veterinary care.
Secret Smiles of Dayton: Provides children with beds and bedding.
The Foodbank Inc.: Runs the Good-To-Go Backpack Program for food-insecure students.
We Care Arts: Helps individuals with disabilities and mental health challenges discover confidence and purpose through creating art.
Families of Addicts: Provides hope, support and education to individuals and families affected by addiction.
Funding from Cones for a cause makes it possible for SICSA pet Adoption & Wellness center to host three free veterinary clinics, where hundreds of pets receive wellness checks and vaccines.
The grant also allows Miami Valley Meals to deliver thousands of meals to local shelters and food pantries. The organization tells Old Scratch, “ This support lets us stay focused on what matters – feeding our neighbors with dignity.”
Stop by Old Scratch Pizza on your way to Pizza Expo Columbus! REGISTER NOW!
Restaurant Fundraisers Program
In 2025, Old Scratch Pizza launched the Restaurant Fundraisers Program to give schools, clubs and nonprofits an accessible way to raise money. “Organizations host an evening at one of our restaurants, and a percentage of the proceeds are donated back to their cause,” Lowry says. “Already, this program has hosted over 50 fundraising events and generated $14,000 in donations, with new groups signing up each week.”
Want to share your pizzeria’s community giving story? Email us at [email protected] and [email protected] with the subject line “Pizzeria Community Impact.”
