A photo of the pizza left out for anyone who needed it along with a thank-you letter
After Chris Kolstad, owner of Heights Pizza Man in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, noticed more and more people fishing out pizzas from his dumpster, he decided it was time to take action. Not out of spite, but out of kindness.
On a Facebook post, Kolstad wrote:
“I don't even know how to start this post but here goes..Recently, we've noticed a rapidly increasing volume of evidence of people eating out of our dumpster. Please do not eat out of our dumpster. Nobody deserves that.
Kolstad's first Facebook postHeights Pizza Man/Facebook
If you are that desperate for food, please come ask. If you are too embarrassed to ask, find a way to call us and ask if there is a way to leave a small cheese pizza outside the back door or something. You don't even have to see us. If you are the ones doing so, leave me a note and we will find a way to leave any extras or mistakes out back so you have something to eat without going through the trash.
If you see this, I will be leaving a cheese pizza outside the back door in the spot you've been leaving boxes.”
Sure enough, Kolstad showed a picture of the cheese pizza left in the back, free to whoever needed it.
A photo of the cheese pizza left out by Kolstad.Heights Pizza Man/Facebook
But that’s not where the story ends. In fact, it was only the beginning. Pretty soon, other businesses began offering help as well. And when Kolstad put up a Venmo donation link that would go to fund local organizations that support people in need, individuals chipped in too, to the tune of $4,000.
One of the organizations being helped is Southern Anoka Community Assistance (SACA), a nonprofit food shelf that serves 55,000 individuals each year, giving out over 950,000 pounds of food annually, according to this website.
Kolstad would later post a handwritten thank-you letter he received from one of the anonymous families he fed, which commended him for helping those who are “struggling.”
A thank you note written by one of the families Pizza Man helped. Heights Pizza Man/Facebook
“What you guys are doing is amazing…this act of kindness from you to our family is so appreciated.”
“This is why we do what we do,” Kolstad wrote in the caption.
Needless to say, people who saw this story were more than a little uplifted.
“One small act of kindness can change the entire community. Here is the proof. Thank you for what you are doing, it’s so inspiring and I hope other businesses follow your lead.”
“One of the best things in the world is people helping people, thank you Pizza Man!”
“That is so awesome of you to acknowledge what’s happening and offer to help people without putting them in a situation that might make someone feel uncomfortable and offer alternatives. When I was in high school I worked at a pizza place and they always kept all of the mistake pizzas & leftover pizzas from the buffet, and set them aside for a local food shelf & homeless shelter. You guys are the best!”
Here’s to the business owners just like Kolstad, who never forget to put compassion first.
A Brittany puppy.
A mail delivery carrier.
A pizza guy receiving a not-so-great tip