Pizzeria's pay-it-forward plan took off, then spread among Lansing Mall businesses

DELTA TWP. — The sticky notes on the wall at Italian Village Pizza in Lansing Mall's food court are written in a shorthand only the restaurant's staff can decipher.

Staff members jot letters on each note behind the counter: "P" for pepperoni, "C" for cheese, "F" for fountain drink — reminders of how many and what's included in each meal the restaurant's customers have pre-purchased for those who can't afford to buy their own.

Staff have been putting up and taking down the notes since mid-January with each random act of kindness — an exchange of goodwill in which customers pre-pay for meals that staff then provide to anyone who's in need. Those in need of food simply approach the counter and request a pre-paid meal, or meals, from among those posted.

Italian Village Pizza owner Ryan Marquardt has been thinking of ways he could feed people who were hungry and struggling to afford food for two years. In less than a month since the effort began, the pay-it-forward concept has taken off at the Lansing Mall's food court.

At least 50 meals for others have been pre-purchased at Italian Village Pizza since mid-January, and the food court's two other restaurants, Hela's Kitchen and Looney Toons Catering, have since followed in Marquardt's footsteps, offering their own pay-it-forward options.

A pay-it-forward solution to hunger

Italian Village Pizza has been part of the mall food court for a decade. Marquardt, a Lansing native, has been at the helm for six years.

His pay-it-forward initiative came after trying, without much success, to give away pizza the restaurant's staff had made, but hadn't sold by the close of business every day.

"I've always wanted to feed the homeless, and people who are just in tough times and just might need some food in their system and don't have the money to purchase any food," Marquardt said.

It was a struggle to consistently get the food to people in need, he said. Marquardt often reached out to Mike Karl founder of the local nonprofit Cardboard Prophets to connect with people, then he'd deliver pizzas free of charge after the restaurant closed for the night.

Doing it consistently was a struggle, though, Marquardt said, and he kept searching for a way to provide fresh meals to people who needed them.

The pay-it-forward meals offered the perfect solution, he said.

"This way we can give them a piece of pizza, fresh out of the oven," Marquardt said.

Italian Village Pizza began notifying customers they could pre-purchase meals in person, over the phone or online. Customers can pre-purchase pizza slices for about $3.50 each or a slice and a drink for about $5.50.

Karl, who started promoting the meals at The Fretail Store, an outreach of the nonprofit that operates in a mall storefront, said it's just the sort of thing he'd expect from Marquardt.

"He's always been a giver, but he's really quiet on his delivery," Karl said. "He doesn't want any credit for it."

'We all fall on hard times'

On Tuesday, the wall at Italian Village Pizza boasted 15 sticky notes. A sign at the register explains how the pay-it-forward meals work.

So far, the response from the community has been encouraging, Marquardt said. It didn't take long for the goodwill to spread to other restaurants in the food court, either.

Hela's Kitchen owner Angie Cabrera started taking pre-paid meal orders after customers asked her if they would allow them.

"We didn't hesitate," Cabrera said. "Why not do it?" They've provided at least half a dozen pre-paid taco dinners to people in need, she said.

Looney Toons Catering has recently promoted the initiative on its business Facebook page as well.

"People call up or come in and say, 'Hey, I love what you're doing. I want to participate. I'll just give you 20 bucks. Just put it toward however many slices that'll cover,'" Marquardt said.

The Fretail Store's volunteers have sent several hungry clients to the mall food court in the last few weeks, Karl said. Staff at the store tell them to just ask for a pay-it-forward meal. "It's very discreet," he said.

Likewise, Karl said several supporters of The Fretail Store have gone to the mall's food court to pre-pay for meals, including one woman who did it in honor of her late son.

"Dear Someone's son," the woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, wrote on the restaurant receipt. "My homeless son's name was Ethan. He always struggled to find food, a place to stay − 4 years ago he froze outside. I want you to know, this program would have helped my son."

The woman signed the note, "I love you, Ethan's mom."

Marquardt said the people he's given meals to at the restaurant are simply grateful, and that's reason enough to keep pay-it-forward meals going.

"We all fall on hard times," he said. "And I feel like we're all called to help people in need, no matter what profession we're in."

Learn more about the initiative on Italian Village Pizza's Facebook page or call the restaurant at 507-5543.

Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ .

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This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Italian Village Pizza pay-it-forward meal plan picks up steam at Lansing Mall