Mission Pizza: Palermo’s introduces new pizza to help fight hunger in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee-area residents are now able to help hungry people in the community – just by enjoying a new brand of pizza. Palermo Villa, Inc. announced Wednesday, December 16th the introduction of Mission Pizza Company, which expands upon the 3rd generation family-owned pizza company’s longstanding efforts to fight hunger.

For every five Mission pizzas sold, Palermo’s will donate one additional pizza to local charitable organizations working to address hunger in the Milwaukee area. The company hopes to donate up to 500,000 pizzas throughout the Midwest in the next year.

Statistics show there is a significant hunger issue in the United States. According to the United States Department of Agriculture,  48 million Americans live in food-insecure homes struggling to provide food for their families. Mission Pizza Company was created to help contribute toward meeting some of these needs locally.

"Food is essential, and there are many people in the Milwaukee area and across America without resources to feed themselves or their families,” said Palermo’s Chief Creative Officer Laurie Fallucca. “It is sad to think that roughly 14 percent of U.S. households cannot provide a meal for their loved ones. Our purpose in creating Mission Pizza Company is to help feed people in need and encourage those who enjoy our pizzas to join with us in making a difference in their own communities.”

The new pizza is available at Pick ‘n Save, Metro Market, Sendik’s and Woodman’s stores in the Milwaukee area. The thin-crust pizza is value-priced in the $3-$5 range and is available in five varieties – Cheese, Combination, Italian Sausage, Pepperoni and Supreme.



Palermo’s is also introducing Mission Pizza in Chicago; Des Moines, Iowa; Green Bay, Wis.; Kansas City, Mo.; Madison, Wis.; and Champaign, Ill.

Consumers can further participate in the mission by going to www.missionpizzacompany.com where they can go to the “Tell Us Your Stories” section to share ways in which their local community is working to address hunger. People can also connect via the Mission Pizza Company Facebook page, www.facebook.com/missionpizzaco, to stay updated on the journey to give 500,000 pizzas to people in need.

"This is an interactive brand that really captures the spirit of giving,” Fallucca said. “We’re excited to launch Mission Pizza and get our Milwaukee-area customers involved in joining us in the fight against hunger.”

Mission Pizza honors Palermo’s immigrant founders, Gaspare and Zina Fallucca, whose spirit of generosity lives on more than 50 years later through the company’s social mission of feeding the hungry. Palermo’s has previously partnered with food banks like Hunger Task Force, Feeding America and The Greater Chicago Food Depository to donate frozen pizzas to people in need. ​