Resolution 150211

..Title Recognizing and honoring Mason Wartman, owner of Rosa's Fresh Pizza, for his entrepreneurship and generosity to Philadelphia's homeless population. ..Body WHEREAS, Mason Wartman, a former Wall Street stock researcher, is a young entrepreneur who owns Rosa's Fresh Pizza in Center City and sells pizza slices for $1 each; and WHEREAS, Customers at Rosa's Fresh Pizza can buy a slice of quality pizza for a homeless person and leave a sticky note on the wall. Any homeless person can come to Rosa's Fresh Pizza and use that sticky note for payment for a slice of pizza; and WHEREAS, Rosa's Fresh Pizza's walls are covered floor to ceiling with sticky notes, many of which have words of encouragement written by the customers who paid it forward to the homeless; and WHEREAS, Rosa's Fresh Pizza feeds about 30-40 homeless people every day and has currently shared over 11,000 slices of pizza to the homeless; and WHEREAS, Rosa's Fresh Pizza exemplifies a cost-effective, simple, and sustainable business model with a social component; and WHEREAS, Rosa's Fresh Pizza also sells t-shirts and sweatshirts that customers can buy and are able to post multiple sticky notes. Tags on the insides of the sweatshirts have a schedule of meals and times for computer classes; and WHEREAS, Rosa's Fresh Pizza's good deeds and generosity has gone viral among Philadelphians and even outside the City; and WHEREAS, Rosa's Fresh Pizza was featured on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" where Ellen DeGeneres applauded Wartman's generosity. On the show, Shutterfly also donated $10,000 to Rosa's Fresh Pizza; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes and honors Mason Wartman, owner of Rosa's Fresh Pizza, for his entrepreneurship and generosity to Philadelphia's homeless population. RESOLVED FURTHER, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Mason Wartman further evidencing the sincere admiration and respect of this legislative body. ..End