A Margherita for a Smile

The Initiative
The Saint Pio Foundation, in collaboration with Saint Joseph’s Medical Center launched “A Margherita for A Smile” on May 25, 2023, the birthdate of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. The foundation and its partners share the same understanding that it is personal relationships that are needed in today’s world.
This venture will provide a minimum of 1,000 10-inch Margherita pizzas each year to eager recipients in the Westchester County area. Pizza, the most popular food in the world today, offers healthy carbohydrates and protein at an affordable cost. Using fresh ingredients, they will be prepared from scratch and baked by two Italian pizza chefs, Francesco Vitale from Pizza Vitale and Luca Dombre from Pizza Mommò, and then handed to needy recipients, accompanied with a smile and words of encouragement.

How This All Began
In the fall of 2021, Luciano Lamonarca, and his then five-year-old son Sebastian were waiting in line to get a pizza. Nearby there was a young girl and her mother, who, together, were trying to collect spare change from other patrons to be able to pay the $14 needed to buy a pizza. Soon the girl’s hunger got the better of her, and she began to cry. Sebastian approached her, saying that he would be happy to share some of his pizza with her. In the end, the mother was able to collect enough money, and she ordered her and her daughter’s pizza. With pizzas in hand, the two kids offered a big smile to the pizza makers and sat next to each other on a park bench, enjoying their fragrant and delicious pizzas. It was in that moment of harmony, created by the sharing of food, that Luciano was inspired to develop a venture that not only would nourish the body but also would lift the spirit.

The Need to Share Food
Food insecurity is a national problem here in America. Those affected by it often feel isolated from the rest of society, believing that they must suffer in silence. Many organizations make surplus food available for pickup by those in need, but handing a can of bans to a person can never convey the same sense of caring that the offer of specially prepared food does. Preparing fresh food, using time and talent, and then personally presenting it to those needing care can change lives in meaningful ways that go far beyond the benefits of providing a single meal.

Why Pizza?
From its humble origins in the 16th century as food for the common man, the Margherita pizza, consisting of dough, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese, has become the most popular food in the world. It is associated with celebration and good times, and when prepared using fresh ingredients, it is a nourishing food choice that offers healthy carbohydrates and protein at an affordable price.

How You Can Help
When you donate to the “A Margherita for a Smile” campaign, you will enable one or more disadvantaged families to receive nourishing food. Every $15 donation will purchase a 10-inch Margherita pizza to be given to a person that is unable to afford one, and that pizza will be personally presented to the recipient by the chef.

So please consider making a donation today to this campaign that embodies care and instills hope. For the price of a few cups of coffee, you can make a real difference in the life of a person that awaits the help that only you can give.