Most everyone on Long Island loves pizza from their favorite local place, especially on Fridays during Lent when Catholics abstain from meat. This year Catholic Charities of Long Island focused on the tasty food as a tasteful way to promote Lenten almsgiving.

The Pizza with a Purpose project was crafted by Danielle Campbell, director of communications and development at CCLI, and Paula Malloy, director of Parish Social Ministry. It sprung up after development specialist Maren Henderson suggested that CCLI might benefit from a similar pizza fundraiser being promoted for local high school sports teams. 

Participating pizzerias, one or two at first, eventually grew to nine across Nassau and Suffolk counties. They plan to donate 10 percent of their Lenten proceeds from pizza and other Italian favorites to CCLI. All customers had to do was mention Catholic Charities at checkout.

The fundraiser specifically benefits Catholic Charities’ Emergency Relief Fund which assists families and individuals in crisis from job loss, personal setbacks, or family illness.

Tony Luisi, one of the owners of Pizzeria Undici in Massapequa, was the first pizzaiolo to sign up for the initiative. “When we started this new Pizza with a Purpose we were all excited about it,” Luisi said. “We have a special community here, a lot of us have been pretty fortunate.

“There are those that need assistance and help,” he explained. “We do that in our own way, through food.”

Luisi’s comments came during an interview Ms. Campbell conducted for one of her weekly segments on the Catholic Faith Network, the television ministry of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. That exposure helped to get the word out about the pizza project.

Other participating pizzerias, besides Pizzeria Undici, were Linda’s Riverside Pizzeria & Cafe in Kings Park, Gino’s King Park, Johnny D’s Pizza in Huntington, Eatalia in Huntington, Rocco’s Pizza and Catering in Huntington, Junior’s Pizza in Huntington, La Casa Cafe in Northport and 3 Sons Pizzeria in Kings Park.

The CCLI website, catholiccharities.cc, includes a playful graphic showing the pizza trail of all the Long Island parlors that took part.  

Extra bites also added up from the youth group at St. Frances de Chantal in Wantagh, which contributed $4,600 from a bread and soup supper. Three schools Ms. Campbell visited during Lent also financially supported the cause. The schools were St. John Paul II Regional School in Riverhead, Sts. Philip and James School in St. James and St. Patrick’s School in Bay Shore. 
The hope is that this fundraiser continues to grow, so CCLI is able to provide emergency help to those in dire need. 

“Lent is a time when Catholics reflect deeply on their faith,” Ms. Campbell said. “We gave generous pizzeria owners an opportunity to help others with real needs by doing an ordinary thing with extraordinary love.”