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.”
Punxsy Pizza
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
punxsypizza.com
From the beginning of Punxsy Pizza in 2014, owner Scott Anthony has made an imprint in his community. The small-town pizzeria has launched and participated in several initiatives that help its neighbors.
Anthony launched Pizza & Prevention to raise funds and awareness about local fire departments. “Our ‘Pizza & Prevention’ event is now in its 24th year,” Anthony says. “Working with the local volunteer fire departments, we have equipped 1,000s of homes with working smoke detectors and raised much-needed funds for the fire departments. We have also been able to introduce the public to these unsung heroes as they work side by side with us during the event, making and delivering pizzas – sometimes in a fire truck.”
Anthony also has worked with the Make a Wish Foundation for many years. “I love working with the children,” he says. “Their pizza experience is very important to me.”
One experience stands out to Anthony: “A touching experience for me was getting to know a Wish Kid, Brayden Wyant,” he says. Anthony coordinated a benefit spaghetti dinner to help raise funds for his medical expenses. Through the event, he became friends with Brayden’s family.
Punxsy’s impact on Make a Wish has been substantial. “Their incredible dedication and generosity has helped raise over $78,000 – enough to grant more than 20 life-changing wishes for local children battling critical illnesses,” say Lacy Bair, Punxsutawney regional manager for Make-A-Wish of Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Punxsy Pizza has worked with several other local and national organizations. “Presently, we are working with the high school band, The Lions Club, The VFW Ladies auxiliary, Chefs Feeding Kids and Slice Out Hunger,” Anthony says.
With so many community initiatives, Punxsy Pizza won the PA Restaurant Association’s Good Neighbor Award three times and was a 2023 recipient of the Community Involvement Award in Pizza Today’s PIE Awards.
