21,000 pizzas will be delivered to soldiers in Afghanistan, Kuwait on Superbowl Sunday
The man allegedly told police he put poison on his children’s pizza.
Knock-knock. "Hey, your pizza's here." That's a scene expected in countless American homes this Superbowl Sunday — but not in Afghanistan or Kuwait.
That changes this year, with 21,000 pizzas to arrive to at the doorsteps of US military bases in Afghanistan and Kuwait on Superbowl Sunday as part of the "Pizzas 4 Patriots" program, reported Chicago's Daily Herald.
Will they share some of that all-American bounty? It remains to be seen, but DHL delivery is working to ensure each pizza made by Illinois' Great Kitchens arrives as fresh as possible, said the Huffington Post.
The "Pizzas 4 Patriots" began in 2008 and has delivered a total of 122,000 pizzas to forces overseas, said the Huffington Post.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said the latest delivery is part of making sure armed forces get "a slice of home" on the upcoming Superbowl Sunday, said CBS.
"Pizzas 4 Patriots" came out of a conversation between World War II vet Bob Evans and his teenage son, who asked if soldiers serving abroad ever got pizza, said the Daily Herald. (The answer is yes: Pizza Hut is available at the Kandahar Airfield.)
But the question stuck with Evans, so he emailed then-General David Petraeus offering to ship 300 pizzas to soldiers for a July 4 surprise. Petraeus reportedly emailed back a few hours later, writing: "Nothing's more important … than the support of those at home," reported the Daily Herald.
The pizza initiative doesn't stand alone, however. The Huffington Post said soldiers have been sent 141,000 pounds of Starbucks coffee and lots of iPads, too.
But Evans says there's nothing like a slice of pizza to bring a soldier home, describing a July 4 visit to Afghanistan's Bagram air field:
"I shed many tears. I couldn't believe it," Evans says, recalling an emotional moment with a young soldier from Chicago who was about to board a helicopter when he spotted the pizza. "He stood there: 'Oh my, God! Oh my, God! I'm home!' He was crying."