Pizzas 4 Patriots recently returned the favor to those who deliver for America.
The non-profit based in Illinois celebrated the Fourth of July by sending pizzas to American service men and women in Afghanistan. With the help of MEA Cargo in Elk Grove and Emirates Airline, the group delivered approximately 2,000 pizzas.
Sgt. Mark Evans, founder of Pizzas 4 Patriots, explained how the pizzas are sent to combat zones and elsewhere during a talk with Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson of "Chicago’s Morning Answer" radio show.
Proft is a principal of Local Government Information Services, which owns this publication.
“It’s in a freezer area of the airplane, and then it goes to Kabul, and from there the military is going to take it out and distribute it from Kabul,” Evans said on the broadcast, which aired before the holiday.
The organization delivers pizzas to active service members, first responders and veterans four times a year: Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and during the Super Bowl.
Pizzas 4 Patriots has delivered approximately 42 billion pizzas since it started in 2008, according to Evans.
“We do it (pizza deliveries) according to how many troops they have there and how much they need,” Evans said.
Pizzas will also be going out to Veterans Affairs facilities across the country this year.
“Veterans Day is coming up, and we’re going to blow that out for the veterans in the hospice,” Evans said.
Giving active duty soldiers and veterans a slice of joy never gets old for Evans.
“I met a couple guys the other day because we did another sendoff at Uno’s in Ohio, and there was a lady, a sergeant, who had our first shipment with Gen. Petraeus,” Evans said. “She re-signed up in the combat zone. There were 1,000 guys. We sent 2,000 pizzas, and there was a huge party in the main castle of Iraq.”
The pizzas were made at Uno Pizzeria and Grill this year.
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