CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The co-owners a floating pizza bar in Charlottetown are going to help feed those in need this summer.
For every pizza sold at the Nimrods’ location at the Peake’s Quay Marina, they will provide a hot meal for someone at the Upper Room Hospitality Ministry Soup Kitchen on Richmond Street.
The floating pizza bar is expected to be up and running next week, complete with a 5,000-pound wood-fired pizza oven. Nimrods’ also operates a food truck on North River Road.
“We wanted to find a way to give back and kind of pay it forward (for) all of the support that we’ve received through the kickstarter campaign,’’ said Mikey Wasnidge, one of the co-owners.
The kickstarter campaign he refers to was a fundraising initiative to get their floating restaurant off the ground.
Wasnidge said it only makes sense that their attempt to provide good food to people at the food truck and on the waterfront that they give back to the community by helping to provide good food to those in need.
“We reached out to (the Upper Room) and have partnered with them for the year to provide a hot meal for someone in need. (It’s not) just about lining our pockets. (It’s) about doing something greater.’’
Lorraine Goley, manager of the soup kitchen, said they are very touched that this business is reaching out.
“There are a lot of people out there that are in poverty and do need food and do need the help and the resources,’’ Goley said. “It’s very exciting and very important to us.’’
Goley said, depending on the time of the month, they serve about 160 hot meals per day, 80 at lunch and 80 for supper.
“Sometimes, we do less at lunch time because some of our clients actually work. They’ve got very minimum wage jobs so they can’t afford the rent and the food so they have to pick and choose. So, we get more for the evening meal.’’
Wasnidge said the soup kitchen is among the most important foundations in the community, providing a basic right, that everyone deserves a hot meal, regardless of their economic status.
“These people (at the soup kitchen) have been providing consistent meals for people in need as long as I can remember. It made the most sense to us,’’ Wasnidge said. “Not everybody has the privilege to be able to dine out . . . and some people don’t have the ability to be able to eat three square meals.’’
