When the novel coronavirus began to rapidly spread throughout the U.S., Verasoni Worldwide, a Fairfield-based marketing firm, was hit just as hard.
“We very closely partner with our clients, so, as our clients have been getting impacted, we’re getting impacted at the same time, because we’re doing a lot of crisis communications,” said CEO Abraham Kasbo. “We’re trying to put out the fire, but also look forward at the same time.”
But, as Verasoni continues to operate remotely, Kasbo got the idea to start an online campaign that supports not only New Jersey first responders, but local businesses, both of which have been struggling in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We wanted to do something that’s going to be a positive force in the communities,” he said. “We thought that delivering pizzas was an easy order, and then delivering to fire and police departments will make an impact, and also on the business community, because plenty of pizzerias are struggling to stay open.”
With that, 2 Pizzas 4 Good was born. On its website, customers have the option of selecting a New Jersey police or fire department to deliver two pizza pies to, and picking a pizzeria of their choice to make and deliver the pizzas. Verasoni seeded $1,000 into the campaign to get it started, and that money will be allocated among police and fire departments across the state.
According to Kasbo, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. The campaign kicked off on Tuesday and, within 24 hours, it made its first delivery — to the Summit Police Department, with pizzas courtesy of Zappias Brick Oven Pizza.
In a time with so much uncertainty, Kasbo considers himself extremely blessed to be able to help others.
“Everybody’s under financial pressure, right? And we’ve been fortunate enough to keep our business going,” he said. “So, that puts us in a position where we could help other people. And if you can help, you should. And that’s what we’re doing.”
