It's hard to go wrong with pizza, which is what a few members of Congress opted for as a way to show their appreciation for the National Guard stationed at the Capitol ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week.
We the Pizza originally got a call from Representatives Michael Waltz and Vicky Hartzler on Tuesday asking for them to deliver 150 pies to the troops at the Capitol Visitor Center.
“We wanted to help, so we matched (the order),” Micheline Mendelsohn, the deputy CEO for the company that owns We the Pizza, said. “Then we realized we weren’t even sending nearly enough so we just started donating to troops.”
Mendelsohn said they doubled that order and have been doing so ever since. So far, they’ve served about 700 pies to the troops at the Capitol and are preparing to send another 300 on Friday. They’re planning on sending about 300 a day until next week.
We the Pizza even set up a way for people to donate pies online to the National Guard, at the price of $12 a pie. They plan to match each order, Mendelsohn said.
“We are so honored to serve the National Guard doing the important work of keeping our Capitol safe,” the company wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
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Mendelsohn added that they’ve reached out to other community restaurants to help serve the troops and everyone has been on board.
"We'll be providing breakfast, lunch and dinner to the troops through next week so they have a variety," she explained. She said Buffalo and Bergen, CHIKO, The Duck & The Peach, Maketto, Ris, Pizzeria Paradiso and District Doughnuts are all participating.
“Because we’re all a community that COVID and now these violent protests have hit hard,” she said. “I mean, the whole city. Really. It’s bananas.”
The National Mall could be closed ahead of and during the inauguration next week and is heavily guarded by at least 10,000 troops. The chief of the National Guard Bureau told reporters earlier this week he’s authorized to bring in up to 15,000 Guard members. There are extensive street closures in place, 13 Metro stops are scheduled to be closed and the city’s mayor has actively discouraged tourists from visiting.
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