The People of Hope, operated by the not-for-profit Saint Pio Foundation in Tuckahoe, announced an exciting new initiative called “Pizza for a Smile.”

The inspiration for “Pizza for a Smile” arose in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when then five-year-old Sebastian Lamonarca from Scarsdale, and his father Luciano, Founder and CEO of the Saint Pio Foundation, were waiting in line to get pizza. Ahead of them was a crying little girl and her mother, who was trying to gather the money needed to buy a pizza. Sebastian approached the girl, like a child would, to say that he would happily share his pizza with her.

The two young children sat next to each other on a park bench, enjoying their pizza together, giving the pizza maker the biggest smiles anyone has ever seen. As the story goes, Sebastian and his father happened to watch the popular Netflix series called “Chef Table: Pizza,” presenting six of the most famous pizza chefs. The headliner of the program was Chris Bianco, widely recognized as owning one of the best pizzerias in the United States, and winner of the coveted James Beard Award.

With the naïveté that only a child could have, Sebastian asked his father if he could meet Chris. Thanks to mutual friends, Sebastian and his father were finally able to meet the legendary Chris Bianco, who welcomed them to “Pizzeria Bianco” his famous pizzeria in Phoenix. After Chris heard their vision for the project, he readily agreed to become its spokesperson, and it was on that day that the initiative finally had its name changed, on the suggestion of Chef Bianco, from “A Margherita for a Smile” to “Pizza for a Smile.”

On Nov. 1, the initiative will be launched in a press conference nationwide from Los Angeles, where American film, theater and television personality Joe Mantegna and James Beard Foundation Award winner, chef, and restaurateur Chris Bianco (headliner of the popular NETFLIX TV Series “Chef Table: Pizza”) will be in attendance to show their support.

To put it in Sebastian’s own words. inspirator and initiative’s ambassador: “When I encounter pizza, I always smile. There is always a story, and that is that pizza always makes you smile. We want to make people happy and receive a smile in exchange!’ “By launching this initiative, The People of Hope (Saint Pio Foundation) intends to change the way we bring nourishment to those in need,” said Founder and CEOLuciano Lamonarca. “We strive to feed not only the body but also the soul of those who are hungry. A pizza delivers both experiences perfectly, and we could not be prouder to borrow from our Italian culture
and cuisine to help those that face significant health and spiritual challenges.”

Lamonarca noted that the initiative will soon launch in Dallas, Philadelphia, and New York, with more cities to be announced in the future. The charitable
program was established on May 25, 2023, at Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers, where more than 500 pizzas were prepared for those in need.