‘Nobody Deserves That’: Minnesota Pizza Shop’s Disturbing Discovery Turns Into Beautiful Act of Kindness

Stories like this are the kind that restore my faith in humanity.

A small Minnesota pizza shop recently sparked a wave of compassion after sharing a deeply personal message on social media. What started as a quiet plea for dignity and kindness quickly turned into more than the business owner ever thought it would.

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Troubling Discovery Behind Pizza Shop Sparks Viral Post

On Tuesday, July 29, Heights Pizza Man in Columbia Heights, a northern suburb of Minneapolis, shared a message on Facebook after noticing something troubling behind their building.

“I don’t even know how to start this post but here goes,” the post began. “Recently, we’ve noticed a rapidly increasing volume of evidence of people eating out of our dumpster. Please do not eat out of our dumpster. Nobody deserves that.”

Heights Pizza Man Offers Help Instead of Judgment

But the restaurant didn’t stop at just raising awareness; they offered help.

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“If you are that desperate for food, please come ask. If you are too embarrassed to ask, find a way to call us and ask if there is a way to leave a small cheese pizza outside the back door or something. You don’t even have to see us,” they wrote. “If you are the ones doing so, leave me a note and we will find a way to leave any extras or mistakes out back so you have something to eat without going through the trash.”

They closed with a direct message to those in need: “If you see this, I will be leaving a cheese pizza outside the back door in the spot you’ve been leaving boxes.”

Minnesota Restaurant’s Facebook Post Goes Viral Overnight

The post quickly gained traction online, with nearly 2,000 shares, close to 5,000 likes, and nearly 400 comments within days. In response to the attention, Heights Pizza Man posted a comment later that day with a Venmo link for anyone wanting to contribute.

“WOW!!! We did not expect nearly the kind of response we have gotten off of this but we appreciate the kind words more than you know,” the comment read. “Our page has absolutely blown up, the Venmo we posted in the comments has blown up and we don’t even know what to say, which is pretty rare!”

Community Responds to Pizza Restaurant's Post With Donations and Kindness

About 3 hours after the post, the Venmo account had $165 in it, according to the restaurant.  “…all of which will be used to continue to fund local organizations that support people in need,” the comment said.

Just one day later, on Wednesday, July 30, Heights Pizza Man provided another update.

“We promised full transparency with any and all donations from our post about helping with hunger last night so here it is: in less than 24 hours, over $1100 has been donated to the Venmo account for this cause.”

According to the post, the funds will allow the restaurant to provide approximately three jumbo pizzas or eight small pizzas per day over the course of 90 days, and $100 will be used for groceries at two different local food banks.

A Reminder That Social Media Can Still Do Good

As someone who spends a lot of time online, it’s easy to get discouraged by the negativity that often dominates our feeds, but seeing a simple act of compassion spark such an overwhelming response reminds me just how much good still lives here, too. Well done, Minnesota. Well done. 👏👏

The Venmo link is available here and is included below if you would like to donate.