SOMERSET, Ky. —
Some may say that pizza and church are foods for the soul.
The two came together recently when Ed Bialon, minister of the Cumberland church, stumbled onto the promise of one pizza chain.
Bialon was about to throw his Donatos Pizza box away one evening when he noticed the company’s pledge printed on the box top. It reads, in part: “We believe in pizza making without shortcuts. Because great pizza is a passion, and we believe that passion is contagious. In turn, we believe great pizza can change the world.”
“I didn’t want to be outdone by a pizza company,” Bialon said. “When I read those words, I just knew I could incorporate them into a great sermon.”
And he did, dishing out a heaping helping of pizza anecdotes in a sermon about “Acts of Random Kindness.”
When Chuck Coldiron, who owns the local Donatos, learned of the sermon, he shared a copy of it with company founder Jim Grote in Columbus, Ohio.
“I was blown away,” Coldiron said. “It’s humbling that our values can be used for such a higher cause.”
Moved by the sermon, Coldiron decided to serve Donatos Pizza to more than 150 churchgoers following a recent service. Donatos has nearly 175 locations throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina.