Back in 2013, we had some misgivings about a message spreading around Facebook that explained the idea of the suspended coffee, and urged people to spread the idea and the idea of donating free coffees to the needy all over the world. Since then, the idea has taken off in some places, including a pizzeria in Philadelphia where customers have bought more than 8,400 slices for homeless and hungry people who stop by.

While the power of a cup of coffee to warm a person up and make them feel human is undeniable, a slice of pizza is both hot and nutritious. (More nutritious than coffee, at least.) A customer who had seen that “suspended coffee” online meme suggested the idea to the owner of Rosa’s Fresh Pizza, and it caught on.

The free slices were tracked in a very simple way at first, with Post-Its on the wall each representing a slices of pizza paid for by a customer, and available to another customer in need. Now that the program has grown to almost 1,000 slices a month, it’s part of the cash register, and remains popular with everyone.

Word spread in the homeless community, and now the walls are covered with thank-you notes from pizza recipients.

Philadelphia Pizza Lovers Pay It Forward One Slice At A Time [NPR]

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