Fredericksburg Paisano's Launches Summer Campaign To Feed Children

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — As thousands of children across the region lose access to free school meals during summer break, the Fredericksburg Paisano's Pizza is asking customers to help provide meals for families experiencing food insecurity.

The restaurant has launched the Community Slice Program through its charitable initiative, Paisano's With a Purpose, partnering with the Pruitt Foundation to provide free pizza slices to school-age children throughout the summer. The campaign comes as the Capital Area Food Bank's 2025 Hunger Report found that 36 percent of households across the Washington region struggled to access enough food this year.

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Last summer, Paisano's With a Purpose served more than 10,000 meals. This year, the organization hopes to expand the effort significantly, with a goal of serving 100,000 school-age children through the Community Slice Program.

Customers Can Help Feed Local Children

Customers visiting the Fredericksburg Paisano's can participate in the "Give a Slice, Get a Slice" campaign in several ways.

Guests can donate a $4 pizza slice at checkout, purchase a jumbo cheese slice for themselves while donating one to someone in need, or make an online contribution. According to Paisano's, every donation is matched slice-for-slice by the Pruitt Foundation, doubling the number of meals provided.

"At Paisano's, we believe that access to fresh, delicious meals is a fundamental human right," CEO Fouad Qreitem said. "After serving the DMV for more than 25 years, we wanted to do more than just feed our customers—we wanted to help feed our communities."

According to Qreitem, 100 percent of Community Slice donations support meals for children through Paisano's With a Purpose, including food truck visits, school meal initiatives and community outreach programs.

Building On Previous Community Efforts

Qreitem said Paisano's has worked with schools, food banks, shelters, nonprofit organizations and military groups across the region through Paisano's With a Purpose.

During the summer of 2025, the company's food truck visited more than 20 schools, parks and neighborhoods, serving free meals to children while school was out. The initiative has now provided more than 10,000 meals, reached more than 50 communities and involved more than 100 employee volunteers, according to the company.

Later that year, Paisano's partnered with veteran organizations during the federal government shutdown to serve more than 16,000 hot meals and distribute $50,000 in grocery gift cards to military families experiencing financial hardship.

"Our message is simple: Share a Slice. Help a Neighbor. One slice can make a difference," Qreitem said.

The Fredericksburg Paisano's Pizza is located at 1033 Jefferson Davis Highway.