08/31/2026
Yes, I did delete the post, and my reason is…
I did not want something that was intended to bring awareness to turn into something it was never meant to be.
My original reason for sharing what happened was to make other business owners, especially those in my line of work who regularly donate food and help people in their communities, aware that situations like this can happen and that we need to be careful about how we coordinate that help.
But there is another part of this that I don’t want to get lost.
It is not my job to judge someone’s situation or determine whether they are “deserving” of a meal.
When I saw someone say that he and the people he lived with were hungry, I didn’t investigate his life. I didn’t ask how he got into his situation. I didn’t try to determine whether it was his fault, whether he made good decisions, or whether he had somehow “earned” the right to receive help.
I offered FOOD because someone said they were hungry.
That’s it.
And I want to word this next part very carefully because, based on some of the messages I’m receiving, I think this needs to be made extremely clear:
I did NOT “verify” this gentleman or investigate his entire situation. I don’t know his full circumstances, his history, or everything that led him to where he is. I cannot vouch for things I don’t personally know, and I have never claimed that I could.
I can only speak to what I personally knew and what I personally offered to help with. He said that he and the people he lived with needed something to eat. My response to that specific need was to provide FOOD. If anyone feels moved to help someone in a similar situation, helping directly with the need in front of you is always something worth considering.
What I can tell you is that someone told me he was hungry, and I believe very strongly that no human being in this country should have to go hungry when so many of us have the ability to help.
Think about how much food we throw away every day.
Then think about places in this world where someone couldn’t give their neighbor or even their own loved one a meal no matter how badly they wanted to because they simply don’t have enough themselves.
I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to own multiple pizza shops. If somebody tells me they’re hungry and I have the ability to make them a pizza, my heart tells me to feed them.
That was my intention from the beginning. Nothing more.
I know that he told me he was at the agreed-upon location waiting. I know he told me he never received a text. I know that I was communicating with him throughout this situation. And I know that I was not called or messaged when she arrived, while she was waiting, before she left, or as she was leaving.
Had I received that call or message, I was already communicating with him and could have tried to resolve whatever miscommunication was happening right then.
I did not hear from her until roughly three hours after she had left the pizza shop, when I was told that he wasn’t there within the approximately 15 minutes she waited. I was later told the food was being taken to the Latrobe Missionary shelter. He called the shelter and told me they said they had not received the food or a call.
Beyond that, I cannot tell you what happened
And I also want to make something else VERY clear:
Me deleting the original post does NOT mean that I found out something new that suddenly made me believe the way the situation was handled was okay. It does NOT mean that I am saying she was in the right, and it does NOT mean that my concerns about what happened have somehow disappeared.
I still believe the situation was handled incorrectly. If there was a problem finding him, I should have been contacted when she arrived, while she was there, and certainly before she left. I was actively communicating with him. A phone call or message to me could have given us the opportunity to figure out what was happening right then.
At the same time, deleting the post does NOT mean I am taking his “side” either or personally verifying everything about him.
And honestly, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS ENTIRE POST:
Someone said they were hungry.
I own pizza shops.
I wanted to feed them.
That’s it.
That’s literally it.
I just wanted to feed somebody.
That’s why I deleted the post.
At the same time, I don’t want anyone who reached out afterward offering food, donations, assistance, or simply trying to help to think that any of this is directed toward them. Quite the opposite. The amount of people who were willing to step up and help reminded me how many genuinely good people we have in our community, and I appreciate every single person whose intentions were simply to help another human being. Just with the amount of messages that I got from all different angles and sides. I just wanted to clarify everything and thank everybody so much! You guys say I’m a blessing, but you guys are truly a blessing!
If anything positive comes from all of this, I hope it’s this:
If you know somebody who’s hungry and you’re able to help, buy them some food.
If you have leftovers you’re going to throw away, consider giving them to somebody who could use them.
If you have extra canned goods sitting in a cupboard, donate them.
If your neighbor is struggling and you have enough to make an extra plate, make one.
You don’t have to know someone’s entire life story to show another human being a little kindness.
Whatever happened in this particular situation, God knows. I don’t need to figure out every detail, and it isn’t my place to judge anyone’s heart.
I know what my intentions were.
I saw someone who said he was hungry, I had food, and I was raised to help❤️🦊
