DELTA TWP. — The sticky notes on the wall at Italian Village Pizza in Lansing Mall’s food court are written in a shorthand only the restaurant’s staff can decipher.
Staff members jot letters on each note behind the counter: “P” for pepperoni, “C” for cheese, “F” for fountain drink — reminders of how many and what’s included in each meal the restaurant’s customers have pre-purchased for those who can’t afford to buy their own.
Staff have been putting up and taking down the notes since mid-January with each random act of kindness — an exchange of goodwill in which customers pre-pay for meals that staff then provide to anyone who’s in need. Those in need of food simply approach the counter and request a pre-paid meal, or meals, from among those posted.
Italian Village Pizza owner Ryan Marquardt has been thinking of ways he could feed people who were hungry and struggling to afford food for two years. In less than a month since the effort began, the pay-it-forward concept has taken off at the Lansing Mall’s food court.