Mason Wartman worked on Wall Street. It wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life, so he quit. His parents were concerned, but supported his new endeavor, hoping for the best. What he did next is simply amazing.
At 27 years old, this young businessman is making a difference. Feeding the homeless wasn’t part of his business plan. He opened a pizza shop in a mostly vacant block in a section of Philadelphia frequented by homeless people and not noted for it’s ‘business climate.’ His initial business goal was simple – make good pizza and sell it at an affordable price, which translated to $1.00 per slice.
That isn’t what put Rosa’s Pizza in Philadelphia on the list of places you want to visit though. What did that was Wartman’s unique pay it forward program. Apparently, one of his customers asked if it would be possible to pre-pay for a slice of pizza in case a hungry homeless person happened to stop in. Wartman agreed, wrote a note on a post it to track the sale, stuck the note on the wall, and a tradition was born.
Wartman has served more than 8,500 slices of pizza, averaging 40 per day to homeless people – all pre-paid by total strangers. The walls are full of post it notes. Behind the counter are those that haven’t been used. In the seating area are those that have been redeemed by hungry customers.
In addition to the many post it notes are handwritten thank you notes from the countless homeless that have been helped by Rosa’s Pizza and their pay it forward program. Many of the notes are from veterans. All of them convey heartfelt thank you and blessings for Wartman and his staff.
The one thing that surprised Wartman the most was that homeless patrons have told him that not only does his pay it forward program keep them from going hungry, but it also keeps them from being forced to commit crimes in order to feed themselves. Kudos to this young man for making a difference in Philadelphia.
