Philadelphia is one of the poorest large cities in the country. And it's the city with the worst deep poverty rate in the U.S., with roughly 185,000 people (including 60,000 kids) living on incomes below half of the federal poverty line.
With that, homelessness is on the rise, and the city doesn't have enough resources to be there for everyone. Owner Mason Wartman, who left his Wall Street desk job to open the shop, says pay-it-forward pizza started with one customer, one dollar, and one Post-it note.
The customer was inspired by an Italian coffee house practice called caffè sospeso (suspended coffee), by which customers can pre-purchase cups of coffee for less fortunate customers.
Wartman wrote the purchase on a Post-it and slapped it on the wall behind the register to be redeemed by the next homeless patron to enter the store.
As word spread, more and more customers participated. And Rosa's wall blossomed with colorful notes signifying acts of kindness and a guaranteed slice for everyone who walked in, regardless of their ability to pay.
Rosa's has provided nearly 70,000 pizza slices to needy Philadelphians. And it's having a remarkable impact on the community, showing not only that acts of kindness can be contagious, but also how a small gesture of support can have a ripple effect of positivity.
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