Most of us can’t ever say no to a late-night pizza. Having a delivery person ring that bell and hand you that warm box is one feeling that never, ever gets old. You open the box and catch that gust of warm air, and that hint of the crust and toppings.
Now imagine also seeing a photo of a random dog on the inside of the box, taped onto the top half and awaiting adoption from some shelter in the same city.
Oddly specific, admittedly. But clever, let’s admit.
Just Pizza & Wing Co. is doing exactly this, in partnership with the Niagara Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Far too many animals are left without a home in many corners of the world, and New York is just one of them.
The idea came to fruition after pizza franchise-owner Mary Alloy and her children frequented working with SPCA.
Homeless animals fill up quite a lot of the shelters in the city, and maybe some PR and publicity work could do something about that.
Social media may seem like the easy solution, but unpredictable algorithms and pages with little following mean that it’s far from guaranteed to work.
While a bit less technologically sophisticated, the pizza-box method is a lot more direct and hands-on. Maybe it’s the combination of those two things that could make all the difference.
It was when Kimberly LaRussa, the coordinator for the rescue organization, talked with Mary over the phone.
“Kimberly texted me one night and was like, ‘Hey, what would you think about putting pictures of the dogs on pizza boxes?’ and I just couldn’t wait,” – Mary Allow says
When two people are dead-set on an idea, it never takes long for them to get to work. In just a few days, the pizza shop’s customers were treated to not just some freshly-baked pizzas, but some sweet animals’ photos on their boxes. Complete with all the details they needed if they considered adopting.
What’s more, any customer who ends up adopting one of the animals will be given a $50 gift certificate for use with Just Pizza & Wing Co. Now that’s a way to get people’s attention!
For instance, Larry the dog found a new home just days after the joint pet-flyer pizza campaign started. The 6-month old puppy now has a family and a roof to live under, all because his adoptive parents were craving some pizza one day.
The idea was a tremendous success, and the numbers more than speak for it. In a typical week, Just Pizza & Wing Co. would go through at least 600 pizza boxes. Since the addition of the pet-posters on the boxes, they’d already used 500 boxes in less than half that time.
The pizza place and shelter alike received an influx of calls, inquiring about the animals on the boxes.
Innovative and effective, and it’s all thanks to the ideas of some bright women, and also the world’s never-ending love for pizza. Now, a lot of shelter animals get to find their forever homes thanks to Alloy and LaRussa. They have no plans of stopping either.
I’d never thought about the power that pizza cravings held, but here we are. Please share this wholesome story about clever solutions and saving animals with your friends!
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