Pizza shop owner was shattered seeing people eat from his dumpster, so he left a note that no one expected
After witnessing a woman eating garlic cheese bread from the trash outside, he knew he had to do something.
On July 29, Chris Kolstad, the owner of Pizza Man in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, shared a now-deleted post on Facebook after realizing that more and more people had been eating food from his restaurant’s dumpster, something he had been noticing since taking over the shop nearly six years ago but which had recently become much more frequent. In his message, he wrote, "Please do not eat out of our dumpster. Nobody deserves that. If you are that desperate for food, please come ask." He explained that if embarrassment was stopping anyone, they could call the shop and arrange to have a small cheese pizza left outside by the back door so they would not have to face anyone directly, as per TODAY.
Kolstad, 39, said that from the start of his ownership, he would sometimes find pizza boxes with slices missing, empty water bottles, and used napkins, but this summer, his cook witnessed a woman eating garlic cheese bread from the trash outside, and he knew he needed to make his offer public. Speaking to The Washington Post, he said, "Nobody is going to be eating out of a dumpster because it’s what they want to do. Usually, if somebody’s going to that length, they’re trying to survive. And I have a hard time sitting in a building full of food knowing that."
After the post went viral, local businesses, including Nozy’s Grill, offered help, and Kolstad added a donation link, raising over $4,000 within a month. Kolstad used the money to provide free meals directly and to support food shelves and shelters, and estimates that since his plea, he has helped close to 100 people. He explained why he doesn’t check whether someone is truly in need, saying, "If somebody’s coming in asking for a small cheese pizza or something, realistically, that costs us next to nothing, and I feel like that cost is less than hurting someone’s dignity."
Part of the donations went to Southern Anoka Community Assistance (SACA), a nonprofit food shelf that has served Columbia Heights, Northeast Minneapolis, and surrounding communities for nearly 50 years. SACA's co-director Dave Rudolph said the need is still climbing and will likely be higher in 2025. "With food costs on the rise, it’s more important than ever to support local food shelves like SACA," he told TODAY. The Food Group, another Minnesota nonprofit, reported a similar trend. Minnesotans made nearly 9 million visits to food pantries last year, 1.4 million more than in 2023.
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Kolstad is no stranger to community support. During the pandemic, he gave away pizza when school cafeterias closed, and in 2023, he raised funds for SACA during a shortage. But he admitted that this summer’s post gained far more attention than he ever expected. "It’s just crazy to me how something very basic and what just feels like the human thing to do turned into such a huge thing," he told The Washington Post. Since the post went viral, business at Pizza Man has picked up, something Kolstad is grateful for, though he insists his focus remains on those who need help most.
He continues to set aside about $20 a day from donations for free pizzas and plans to keep directing funds to food shelves. "Pizza Man isn’t a soup kitchen," he said, "but I can’t sit here and watch people go hungry." In a follow-up post (also deleted), he encouraged others to take part, writing, "If you have things you won’t eat, donate them. When you go to the store, maybe spend an extra $5 on things to donate." He added, "We can’t fix all the world’s problems. But if enough of us take small steps, we can reduce them a little at a time."
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