Doughnate Pizza: Angelo Corso, feeding the homeless and reducing food waste, one slice at a time!
Emre Zor
25 October 2023
Bob Dylan once said, “We live in a political world where love don’t have any place.” But love was found, Dylan, right here in Chicago.
Doughnate Pizza is a nonprofit organization that relies 100% on volunteers and was established in the city in 2022. The organization partners with fifty pizzerias to provide pizzas to homeless shelters. As of October of 2023, they have served more than 12,254 meals to unhoused people in Chicago, according to their website.
Origin story: Angelo Corso’s mission
Angelo Corso, a Chicagoan who had founded two tech companies in the city, felt unfulfilled and lost in thought before April last year.
“Business is business, but you never get that good feeling that you’re making your clients happy and well,” he said.
Growing up in a large family with two pizzerias on the south side of Chicago, Corso realized that his love for pizza could be transformed into volunteer work.
He made it his mission to combat food insecurity by providing Chicago’s most delicious pizzas to those in need and supporting local businesses simultaneously. He founded Doughnate Pizza as a means to that end, coining the slogan “Where Dough Does Good.”
The first donation to Doughnate Pizza was $100, and Corso set off to homeless shelters with three pizzas in hand.
“The energy that you bring into the shelters and the energy that you get back is unattainable to what success and happiness feel like,” Corso said.
The organization collaborates with pizza restaurants, offering 50 to 70% discounts for the pizzas. Donations made through the website go directly to Doughnate Pizza. After determining the shelters in need, they rapidly contact one of the pizzerias they partner with and ask for a discount. Volunteers then pick up the pizzas and deliver them to the shelters.
Corso wants those experiencing homelessness to eat the same food as everyone else, instead of the ‘terrible food,’ as he says, they get in shelters. His top priority is serving high-quality food. All the organization’s pizza partners use top-quality ingredients, such as cheese imported from Italy and organic meat, according to Corso.
“These are the ingredients most people need help accessing,” Corso said.
Witnessing the joy on the faces of unhoused people as they receive delicious pizza motivates him to serve more people, Corso says. He recounted that one of the individuals in the shelter came back and said: “I just gotta say, this is the best Detroit-style pizza I’ve ever had in my life.” Those moments bring Corso joy and make him smile every single day, he said.
Responding to problems with the system
Though there is a lot of joy in Corso’s work, he also expressed frustrations with Chicago’s systemic issues regarding food insecurity. Corso’s chief complaint is with the city’s limited and expensive food and food waste.
“There’s a huge problem with the system,” he said.
According to Rethink Food Waste Through Economics and Data (ReFed), America wastes 40% of all produced food, equaling around one hundred million tons per year, with nearly a fifth of that, 19 million tons, coming from Illinois alone. Moreover, each American generates around 20 pounds, 9.07 kg, of food waste every month, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Furthermore, the USDA estimated that, in 2010, up to 40% of all produced food is wasted at the production, commercial retail, or individual consumer level, which amounts to over $161 billion worth each year.
Combating food waste is one of the main objectives of Doughnate Pizza and their efforts are focused locally. Doughnate Pizza cuts down food costs and waste for shelters by partnering with pizzerias. They convert a $3 donation into a meal for one unsheltered person. They also pick up the restaurant’s leftovers.
“If you work on programs like Doughnate Pizza, you cut the food price and waste,” he said.
Corso’s ultimate goal is to ensure everyone is well-prepared and scheduled to receive a warm meal, as well as reducing food waste, he said.
“We need to spread the word more as we rely solely on the community to help us be better and help us grow,” said Corso. According to their website counter, the number of meals ‘doughnated’ to date has reached 12,254.
But for Corso and his team, it’s not just about delivering pizzas and reducing food waste. They are all passionate pizza enthusiasts. Local pizza restaurants often invite Corso to try their pizzas, and he hasn’t turned down a slice yet. He admits that he eats about 5 pizzas a week.
Creating a 100% volunteer-based community
Doughnate Pizza fosters solidarity by uniting small businesses and Chicagoans towards a common goal.
Donna DalCerro, the founder of Planty Scoops, recently attended a volunteering night for Doughnate Pizza. She and her team were responsible for picking up pizzas and delivering them to shelters. Once there, she knew there were donations in the refrigerator for her to make a salad. They prepared large salads to go with the delicious pizzas and headed to the women’s shelters.
“I felt impacted on a good level by seeing how happy these women were to have a hot pizza dinner served to them. Each one was courteous and incredibly thankful. I felt hope for their futures in being housed, fed, and cared for by others,” DalCerro said. “We are already looking forward to volunteering another night.”
Corso encouraged other Chicago residents to get involved, saying that volunteers can both learn about the houseless community and food insecurity while making a positive difference.
“UIC community, Gen Z, students of America… If you want to come out and understand what shelters look like in Chicago, come up and volunteer,” Corso said.
People who want to get involved with Dougnate Pizza are given the opportunity to learn and build community with their tasks, according to Corso.
‘‘The volunteers are passing out pizzas, talking to people experiencing homelessness in shelters, and they are also meeting the owners of the pizzerias,’’ Corso said.
Corso specifically encouraged young people to get involved and join the community of love and service that Doughnate Pizza has built.
“I’ll be relying on the new generation to come out and support us and spread the word so our community can grow and be better,” Corso said.“One slice at a time!”
