Serving up slices of kindness at Mount Pearl's Panago pizzeria

Slices of kindness are being served up at Panago in Mount Pearl.

The pizzeria is now taking donations from customers to help youth in need.

It's more than donating spare change — kind words are also being dished up.

Franchise owner Caroline Andrews was inspired by a similar project she saw online at a pizza place in Philadelphia.

There customers wrote kind words on a Post-it note for every dollar they donated.

"I came from a social work background so I knew when I opened the business I wanted to be involved in the community somehow — get my staff involved and my customers," Andrews said.

The project benefits the Thrive Community Youth Network's community lunch program.  

"Community involvement and helping others is just so important. It's a huge part of my life so [I'm] just hoping others will get involved, other businesses and individuals," Andrews said.

'Chief kindness officer'

Panago has partnered with Project Kindness NL to cook up Slices of Kindness in Newfoundland. Hasan Hai is the group's "chief kindness officer."

"[Project Kindness NL is] the concept of encouraging, or inspiring people to think of others before themselves just to pay it forward," Hai said.

Thrive Community Youth Network holds a lunch Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m.for those in need while providing various other social services.

"Every week they have a community lunch that's targeted towards youth but they don't say no to anyone," Hai said.

The Slices of Kindness project launched Sunday, and there are already a dozen colourful messages on the board.

"We're going to be able to cater at least one of those lunches a month," Hai said.

"Poverty in St. John's and Newfoundland is hidden, where in bigger centres it's visible. A lot of people [who] think we don't have an issue with poverty here are mistaken. It's all around us."

A message of warmth

Between 60 to 80 people regularly attend the community lunch so donations from both the public and Andrews will be put toward feeding those in need.

"The goal right now isn't so much dollars we raise, it's more so the awareness," Hai said.

"The Post-it notes are almost more valuable than the dollars because each one of them represents a specific sentiment which is going to be handed over to someone in need."

Andrews and Hai are hoping other businesses will want to get involved in the Slices of Kindness project.