MANSFIELD, Ohio – Two Cousins Pizza’s annual Feed the Forces event promises to keep the bellies full for local first responders over the holidays.
The fifth-annual pizza-making marathon is the first Feed the Forces under the charge of Andy McIntyre, who became sole owner of Two Cousins in June. McIntyre has been working at the downtown Mansfield location for three years.
“It’s been a huge success,” McIntyre said. “It’s a tradition for Two Cousins, and it’s something I value deeply.”
Starting on Christmas Eve night and lasting through dinnertime on Christmas Day, Two Cousins will be making and delivering pizzas for all of Richland County’s first responders working over the holidays. This includes dispatchers, EMS, firefighters and police officers.
McIntyre said after closing on Christmas Eve, he starts making pizza for the first responders. More than 100 pizzas are made for three different waves – Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day lunch and Christmas Day dinner.
“It’s almost a day-and-a-half of making pizza,” McIntyre said. “We’re making one after another, the ovens are completely filled at all times.”
In charge of delivering the pizzas to the various officers throughout the county is a seasoned group of 20 to 25 volunteers. McIntyre said the same group of volunteers helps deliver pizza every year.
“We make the pizzas and the volunteers show up and deliver them, they’re kind of like our little elves,” he said. “I’ve never come across so many giving people. They look forward to volunteering every year. What we’re doing is pretty nice, but they’re taking time out of their holidays to help out and that’s just wonderful.”
Feed the Forces is an event McIntyre has grown to look forward to, as well. He said he’s happy to do his part to give back to the area’s safety forces.
“They don’t get enough credit for the things they do and if I have to work on Christmas or Christmas Eve, it’s no big deal to me,” McIntyre said. “They risk their lives – I’m just making pizza.”
