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Solomon Strong

Posted by on Oct 14, 2022 in Current Events, Families In Need, Helping Families | 0 comments

Solomon Strong

Vanessa Solomon is a St. Lucie County school teacher and graduation coach at Fort Pierce Central. After a difficult battle with breast cancer in 2016, including multiple rounds of chemotherapy and several painful surgeries, in 2022, Vanessa’s cancer proved to be relentless and spread into her lymph nodes. Her new diagnosis is Stage 4 incurable Metastatic Breast Cancer. Currently in palliative care, Vanessa’s doctors are doing their best to keep her comfortable for the remainder of her life. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to show Vanessa and the Solomon family a little of our love and community support? You can do that just by ordering dinner at Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce on Wednesday, October 26th. One hundred percent of all sales (food and drink), plus tips and staff salaries will be donated to the Solomon family to help. Of course, if you can donate blood, that would be so appreciated, but every bite of pizza you order (eat in or take out) will help this local educator and her family through a rough time. Thank you for sharing this with friends and colleagues,...

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‘Slices for Seniors’ Serves Thousands of Nursing Home Residents

Posted by on Mar 7, 2021 in Current Events, Families In Need, Helping Families | 0 comments

‘Slices for Seniors’ Serves Thousands of Nursing Home Residents

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — It has been more than a year since COVID-19 put seniors on lockdown in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. This week, an effort to bring joy to seniors who otherwise feel isolated and alone hit its one year mark. Scott Van Duzer, owner of Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce and founder of the Van Duzer Foundation nonprofit, started “Slices for Seniors” at the beginning of the pandemic. Van Duzer and groups of volunteers and donors would deliver pizzas to the facilities, along with t-shirts and handmade cards. Treasure Coast Hospice, Dr. Shamser Singh, We Honor Veterans, Dragonfly Graphics, and Seacoast Bank gave donations in addition to community members to make the effort a success. “We’ve hit every nursing home and assisted living facility in St. Lucie County and a little over 5,000 seniors in one year,” Van Duzer said. Read...

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A Moore Merry Christmas

Posted by on Dec 9, 2020 in Current Events, Families In Need | 0 comments

A Moore Merry Christmas

Polly Moore needs a big roof repair, but the money to do it – it just isn’t there. So let’s all become elves, and we’ll do it ourselves, to show Polly how much we all care. Wednesday, December 16th 4-10pm. Big Apple Pizza &...

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Apply For A Job and Get a Free Pizza

Posted by on May 4, 2020 in Current Events, Families In Need, Helping Families | 0 comments

Apply For A Job and Get a Free Pizza

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The coronavirus pandemic continues to cause a financial burden for many families. A new program in St. Lucie County is being launched to help ease some stress and provide an opportunity for job seekers. The program was created by local philanthropists Dr. Shamsher Singh and Scott Van Duzer. Duzer is the owner of Big Apple Pizza and Pasta in Ft. Pierce. People looking for work will have the opportunity to apply for open positions with multiple employers and take home a free pizza. Through the program, St. Lucie County residents can apply for a job with up to five local employers, get linked to a database for additional positions, update career skills and find out more about skill and career opportunities through CareerSource Research Coast. Those wishing to take part in the program just need to stop by Big Apple Pizza at 2311 South 35th Street. It’s located just across the street from Indian River State College’s Main Campus. The program will run on May 9, May 10, May 16 and May 17 starting at 10 a.m. “I always believe in giving back and you know these are hard times for everybody not just myself,” Duzer said. “If we could help somebody find a good job and hand them a free pizza it’s a win-win for everybody.” In addition to representatives from CareerSource Research Coast, hiring managers from St. Lucie County, A&G Concrete Pools, Inc., the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Expert Shutter Services, Inc., and Surfside Grill and Pizzeria will be on hand to conduct interviews. For additional information, please contact Big Apple Pizza at...

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Slices For Seniors

Posted by on Apr 6, 2020 in Current Events, Helping Families | 0 comments

Slices For Seniors

UPDATED MAY 2, 2020   The Treasure Coast is known for its beautiful scenery, sandy beaches, art scene, and the wide variety of activities and events it hosts throughout the year. But something that the Treasure Coast is also known for but doesn’t boast about is its strong sense of community, particularly in challenging times. When the twin sisters of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne came through in 2004, the community rallied, coming to the aid of those who had lost their homes or livelihoods and helping to rebuild an even better community. When the bottom fell out of the housing market in 2008 and the years thereafter, the community again stepped up to help those who were struggling. And in 2020, when circumstances far beyond anyone’s control impacted the entire world, the Treasure Coast community once again has found itself jumping into action to help. Simple actions of individuals, businesses, and groups have helped provide food, shelter, and a variety of services for members of the community who find themselves struggling. One example of the abundant generosity of the Treasure Coast community members can be found just across the street from Indian River State College’s Main Campus location at Big Apple Pizza and Pasta, a legendary local pizzeria owned and operated by Scott Van Duzer and his family since 1991. Long known for his humanitarian efforts in St. Lucie County through the Van Duzer Foundation, a nonprofit foundation created to help families and individuals in crisis in St. Lucie County, in April, Big Apple Pizza implemented a Slices for Seniors program. Community members make donations of amounts from $20 up to Big Apple Pizza and Pasta, which uses the funds to deliver pizza dinners to senior citizens in St. Lucie County. The program started very small, with just a few individuals who wanted to do something to help provide a meal and moment of community to senior citizens who might be feeling isolated during a difficult time, and word of mouth helped the program spread quickly. Within just a week of implementation, over 600 seniors had received pizza deliveries through the Slices for Seniors program. One of the biggest supporters of the program is St. Lucie County dermatologist and much-beloved philanthropist, Dr. Shamsher Singh. Known far and wide for his generosity and warm heart, when Dr. Singh’s medical practice had to be put on hold due to current events in the world, the dermatologist decided the best way to make it through a difficult time was by helping others. Loving the idea of Slices for Seniors, he stopped in at Big Apple Pizza, made a generous donation to help fund the program, donned a patriotic mask, and became a delivery driver, helping to deliver delicious meals and a moment of cheer to seniors who might be feeling isolated in St. Lucie County. “After being politely told by my office manager that my services were not required in the office,” chuckles Dr. Singh, “it was back to delivering pizzas.” Dr. Singh has delighted in bringing smiles (and pizza) to many St. Lucie County seniors. When he’s not delivering Slices for Seniors and practicing dermatology full-time, Dr. Singh is a strong supporter of the Southeast Florida Honor Flight program, which flies World War II, Korean, and Vietnam War veterans on...

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