Bronx pizzeria gives out free slices to New Yorkers in need
D'Romano Pizzeria in the Bronx is making sure nobody goes hungry, by feeding the community for free.
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The day Daniel Romano saw a woman pull pizza out of the trash, he decided he never wanted to see it happen again.
“I took her by the hand," said Romano, the owner of D'Romano Pizzeria. "I sat her down and I gave her a slice of pizza. She got emotional, so she started crying. I said ‘Don't cry. Eat.' And that's how this thing started.”
Romano has a handwritten sign outside his pizzeria at 3579 East Tremont Ave. in Throggs Neck that reads, “To the people eating out of the garbage, I have more love for you than you think. Please tell me you’re hungry, I will give you a slice of pizza."
“They have a new law in the Board of Health. Every four hours, you have to get rid of what you have," Romano said. And you have to put new. Why not give it away to people that are hungry?”
Romano now gives a free slice to anybody who needs it - generosity he says he learned from his mother.
“She had a very simple saying," Romano said. "‘A desperate person will always make a better decision on a full stomach than on an empty stomach.' It stuck with me.”
Romano has also inspired other nearby businesses. Betty Boop Hair Salon on East Tremont Avenue is offering free haircuts Tuesday Sept. 1 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. for kids ages 5 to 12 before they head back to school.
