New Jersey pizzeria donates thousands of meals to jobless families

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Food banks see huge increase in demand because of COVID-19

Christmas is tomorrow and for many it’s a time of celebration, but for some it’s a worry all year long. Typically food banks are there to save the day, but this year, because of COVID-19, their demand is higher than ever.

A New Jersey pizzeria has donated thousands of meals to feed families in need during the pandemic despite having its own financial challenges during COVID-19 related shutdowns.

Livingston-based Calabria Restaurant and Pizzeria, a family-owned Italian eatery that’s been in business for 40 years, is helping feed community members in need.

"If you are not working/not getting a paycheck/struggling to make ends meet and run out of food or necessities…please don’t let yourself or your kids go to sleep with an empty stomach," the restaurant wrote in a message posted on its Instagram page.

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"Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to send me a private message. We are more than happy to help you and your family out," the restaurant added in the post, also saying it would deliver to those in need.

A New Jersey pizzeria is paying it forward by donating thousands of free meals to families in need.  (iStock)

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Calabria has been serving up community members in need for the past year, beginning at the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year in March. During that time, the restaurant claims to have provided nearly 168,000 meals for those in need.

"Spread the word to help fight to stop hunger ! Let us reach 200K people ! As of this morning we have reached almost 168,000 people," the restaurant noted in a recent post celebrating the one-year anniversary of its efforts. "We are now a solid 12 months into this."

On the journey to its new goal of feeding 200,000 people, the restaurant last week said it hoped to serve 5,000 families by the end of the week.

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Giuseppe Ottaiano, who runs the business with his father, told FOX Business that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also made a surprise visit to the restaurant in January, and gave its thin-crust slice a rave 8.9 review. Ottaiano said the rating has sent business booming.

"[Dave Portnoy] came to give us a great review it was the best thing we could have asked for. We've been in this community for 40 years, without them we wouldn’t be here. My dad and my uncle came here as immigrants and worked as hard as they could, we figure if we can help, we will," Ottaiano said.

Recently, Calabria's was also treated to a donation from the History Channel, which gave the eatery a $20,000 donation to continue their efforts, Today announced Tuesday.