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A slice of kindness

Neighbors: Profiles of our community

Jonathan Yudis (left), a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Maui, coordinated an office-wide pizza delivery effort as part of Keller Williams’ annual day of service on May 13. Twenty-five Keller Williams Realty Maui agents spent the day handing out pizza slices and bottles of water to unsheltered residents in Paia, Kahului, Wailuku and Kihei. Photo courtesy Jonathan Yudis

If you’ve ever seen Jonathan Yudis at the Costco food court, you may have thought to yourself: “That guy must really like pizza.”

Every month, Yudis pays a visit to the food court. And every time, he leaves carrying a stack of warm pizza boxes. But he’s not taking them home. Since 2016, Yudis has been hand-delivering freshly made pizza slices to Maui’s unsheltered through his “Maui Charity Pizza” community service project.

Why pizza? Apart from being easy to order, transport and divvy up, he said, “Who doesn’t like pizza?”

By now, he’s a familiar face at Costco’s pizza pick-up window. Once or twice a month, he purchases several piping-hot pies, loads them into his car and hits the road, keeping his eyes peeled for anyone who may need a meal. When he spots someone, Yudis pulls over, walks up to them and offers a slice, along with a bottle of ice-cold water and a resource pamphlet. He often catches people off-guard, he said, “And they say things like ‘are you for real?’ or ‘you have no idea how much this means to me right now.’ Then it gets even better when I say: ‘cheese or pepperoni?’ and they realize they can choose.”

The monthly pizza deliveries began five years ago after Yudis’s then-13-year-old son, William, said he wanted to do something to help Maui’s unsheltered residents. “I remembered my experiences both in high school and beyond when I volunteered in soup kitchens and for Meals on Wheels programs, so I suggested he could go out one day and help feed those in need,” Yudis recalled. “He did some research and put together a flyer with information on local resources and shelters for the homeless.” After that, father and son headed to the Costco food court to buy pizzas. They spent the day driving around Kahului, distributing slices, cold water and William’s flyers.

Kula resident Jonathan Yudis is the driving force behind Maui Charity Pizza, a community service project he started to help Maui’s unsheltered. Photo courtesy Jonathan Yudis

“The best part of the experience was the opportunity to connect with people one-on-one and simply let them know we cared,” Yudis said. “So after that day, I was inspired to keep the pizza charity service going.”

Yudis estimates he’s delivered meals to nearly 1,000 people since 2016, and in that time, he’s come to know many of them — not just their names, but also their stories and experiences. And there are some he will never forget. On one rainy delivery day, Yudis met a frail man living in his van who hadn’t eaten in several days. On another occasion, a man burst into tears at the sight of the pizza; it was his birthday.

“It’s moments like that where it feels like it’s about much more than a slice of pizza,” Yudis said. “It’s more about reaching out to another human being to show we care. We often carry inaccurate stereotypes about those living on the streets. It’s amazing how many people that just lost a job, fell behind on their rent, or are going through a tough stretch end up living in their cars right here on Maui.”

Yudis hopes others will consider helping Maui’s unsheltered in any way they can — pizza deliveries or otherwise. “I feel truly blessed to be alive and have a roof over my head and food to eat,” he said. “It’s easy to get caught up in life and forget to be grateful for these basic things. This charity effort is an important reminder to me to never forget that without these basic needs met, nothing else in my life would matter. It’s also an opportunity to lend a helping hand to those who are going through challenging times and can use some support.”

He says he will continue to deliver meals as long as they are needed. “While I recognize that handing out pizza isn’t going to eradicate homelessness, this is more of a personal effort to brighten someone’s day and remind myself that we are all in this together,” he said.

To help Yudis keep his pizza delivery service rolling, people can make a donation or become a Maui Charity Pizza sponsor. To learn more or to make a contribution, visit www.MauiCharityPizza.com.

* Sarah Ruppenthal is a Maui-based writer. Do you have an interesting neighbor? Tell us about them at missruppenthal @gmail.com. Neighbors and “The State of Aloha,” written by Ben Lowenthal, alternate Fridays.

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