Pizza Joint Changing Lives With Tasty Lessons
DENVER (CBS4) - Approximately 12,000 men, women and children are homeless in Colorado. Many end up on the street asking for money, but one business on one of Denver's busiest streets is opening its doors to help.
Pizza Fusion on Colfax at Pearl is more than a pizza joint, it's a job training program funded by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
Grace is a shift leader. It's a big change in her life and her family's.
"I was living in my car," she told CBS4's Suzanne McCarroll. "I had no money."
Now she works full time earning a paycheck. And something more.
"I can depend on myself more than being out on the streets," she reflected.
Sossity has a similar story. She moved out of a homeless shelter once she became a manager at Pizza Fusion.
It's a move that has changed her life and her children's.
"They smile," she said. "They love mommy a lot."
Paul went through the job training at Pizza Fusion and now works full time in the community.
"Now I'm good," he said, "I've got a high paying job with medical, dental 401K."
He would like to see more programs like Pizza Fusion, ones that help the homeless help themselves.
"Helping them earn your money," is how he sees it.
"You never know what they'll do if you give it to them," he said.
The staff is like a family, offering support and encouragement to each other.
"I'm glad I don't have to ask for anything," Sossity said. "I know I can pay on my own way. It's nice to be able not to have to ask, and I earned it."
Pizza Fusion is rebuilding lives and confidence, one slice at a time.
LINKS: Colorado Coalition for the Homeless | pizzafusion.com
