“I know that we can’t repeat the service that the officers perform on a daily basis, but this is our chance to give back and serve our local heroes,” said Brad Konves of Two Cousins’ Pizza in reference to Feeding the Forces.
For the third consecutive year, Two Cousins’ Pizza Co. in partnership with the Richland County Chaplain Corps (RCCC) is “Feeding the Forces” by providing meals to all police and fire agencies in Richland County on Christmas Day.
They also delivered pizzas on Christmas Eve.
An airman in Security Forces at the 129th Airlift Wing said that just before midnight on Christmas Eve a delivery was made to gate at the Mansfield Lahm Airport.
Unaware of the Feed the Forces program, the airman said,” We thought it was for someone else.”
But the delivery was for the security personnel serving that night at the base and for the Fire Protection Branch service personnel serving that night. The delivery included pizza, chips, and pop, and it was a very welcome surprise.
A retired officer, Chaplain Derrick Martin with the RCCC understands and empathizes with those who serve in law enforcement.
“I’ve spent many Christmases away from my family and so I can appreciate the service that our forces provide on that day,” stated Martin.
He added, “It’s good for the community to give back to the officers and show that people do appreciate the jobs that they perform.”
And thanks to the community’s generosity, approximately 200 law enforcement personnel were hand-delivered their own pizzas. Volunteers met at Two Cousins’ to pick up the fresh-baked pizzas and then deliver them to each department.
Brad Konves of Two Cousins’ Pizza stated that he and his wife developed a system over the years in which the two of them plus another two employees would prepare the pizzas on Christmas Eve and then bake them on Christmas Day.
The personnel served included the Ohio Air National Guard Security Forces, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Richland County Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol, Richland County Sheriff’s Office Corrections, Mansfield Police Department, Ontario Police Department, Plymouth Police Department, Shelby Police Department, Bellville Police Department, Butler Police Department, Ohio Air National Guard Fire Protection Unit, Mansfield Fire Department (all stations), Springfield Township Fire Department (all stations), Shelby Fire Department, Madison Township Fire Department, Mifflin Township Fire Department, Richland County EMA (911 dispatchers), and Mansfield City 911 (dispatchers).
Feeding the Forces began three years ago when Martin made it his mission to feed law enforcement on Christmas. He posted his ambitious plan on Facebook, and Two Cousins’ Pizza took it from there.
Two Cousins’ reached out to its Facebook fan base and within hours had raised hundreds of dollars to contribute to the pizza production. Other local businesses then got involved and the event has grown every year.
Remembering the first year of the program, Martin stated, “It was really neat hearing the feedback that we got from people who participated in the program. They said what an amazing experience it was to give back and how it was awesome to serve others…The community just really loves to give back and it’s been a unique thing to see.”
Maintaining that giving spirit, the community went above and beyond for this year’s program. “We set a goal to raise $700 dollar for the pizzas this year and we’ve gone well beyond that,” said Konves. He stated that the surplus funds will be donated to a charitable organization.
Konves noted that the program included contributions from Meijer, Gordon Food Service, and Pepsi.
“It’s good for the community to give back to the officers and show that people do appreciate the jobs that they perform,” stated Chaplain Derrick Martin.
