Man Wins Free Pizza for a Year, Then Surprises Pizzeria

He asked to give it all to a food bank
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 27, 2016 7:39 AM CST
Man Wins Free Pizza for a Year, Then Surprises Pizzeria
Mario's Pizza employees with Josh Katrick, second from right.   (Mario's Pizza)

When Mario's Pizza in Northampton, Pa., notified Josh Katrick that he'd won its "free pizza for a year" contest, employees expected him to "be excited, come in and get [his] pizzas." They did not expect to get an email asking whether Katrick could give all that pizza away, reports WFMZ. But Katrick, 36—who'd just received his eighth round of chemotherapy for stage 2 colon cancer when he realized he won the contest earlier this month, per CNN—says he's "been getting so much from family, friends, people I don't even know well, the last few months … I just wanted to give back to people that could use it more than I could." His proposed recipient: a local food bank.

"It hit a nerve … in the heart," says Mario's Pizza manager Frank Grigoli, who decided to give both Katrick and the food bank the prize of two large pizzas and soda each month in 2017. "I can't think of anything better," says Grigoli. "It's better to give than receive, and especially during this time of year—Christmas," adds his son. Katrick says the food bank is "very thankful" and will put the pizza "to good use." Katrick plans to do the same. He says he may host a Facebook contest to give away some of the pizza he's won for himself. "You know the saying, 'When life gives you lemons make lemonade,'" he says. "Well, when life gives you pizza, give away a slice." (See why an animal shelter is celebrating this holiday.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X