- December 23, 2024
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Brad Beam, left, and Wadsworth Assistant Principal Chris Tincher give their thumbs up as third grader Emma Flegel enjoys her pizza. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Wadsworth Assistant Principal Chris Tincher helps load Brad Beam's Bronx House Pizza van with food donations for the Salvation Army Food Pantry in Daytona Beach. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Brad Beam loads up a Bronx House Pizza van with food donations from students at Wadsworth Elementary School on May 19. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Wadsworth Elementary School teacher Parin Majewski hands out pizza to kids in the cafeteria on May 22. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Wadsworth Assistant Principal Robby Hallock; Bronx House Pizza's Brad Beam; Candice Billeck, a Wadsworth teacher and academic coach; and Assistant Principal Chris Tincher hold up a pair of Bronx House Wadsworth Food Drive T-shirts as they collect food donations on May 19. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Wadsworth students wear their new Bronx House T-shirts while participating in field day activities on May 23. Courtesy photo
Wadsworth Elementary School Assistant Principal and Bronx House Pizza co-owner Brad Beam hold up boxes of pizza delivered to students during their lunch period on May 22. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Brad Beam, the co-owner of the Bronx House Pizza on State Road 100 and Bronx House Pizza & Brew in The Hammock, grew up in Palm Coast. He attended Wadsworth Elementary School, Buddy Taylor Middle School and Flagler Palm Coast High School.
He has a relationship with the Salvation Army Food Pantry in Daytona Beach and knows that food pantries shut down when they don’t have enough donations.
So, he went back to Wadsworth and spoke to administrators about organizing a food drive.
“I wanted to teach the kids the importance of helping people in need,” Beam said. “(Principal) Paul Peacock pitched the idea of giving a pizza party to any class that has 100% participation with every kid donating one or more (food items).”
(The Salvation Army was) blown away with how many donations there were, all from one school.” — BRAD BEAM
As it turned out, every class had 100% participation, and Bronx House gave away pizza slices to all 875 students. Beam also had commemorative T-shirts made for all of the students, with the Bronx House Pizza logo on the front and text on the back reading: “First Annual Bronx House Pizza Wadsworth Elementary Food Drive.” The kids wore the T-shirts on their field days.
On May 19, Beam drove to the school and loaded up a van with dozens of boxes of food donations and then drove down to the Salvation Army.
“They were blown away with how many donations there were, all from one school,” Beam said.
He planned to deliver the 150 to 160 pizzas to students and staff at the school over a four-day period, May 22-25.
