Did you know April was Child Abuse Prevention Month? Me either. Fortunately for us pizza lovers, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is making sure they bring awareness to the issue.

Incidents of child abuse have risen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States has one of the worst records surrounding abuse. Here’s a stat to wrap your head around: each year, about 4 million referrals are made to protection agencies involving about 7 million children.

According to a press release, until the end of the month, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria restaurants nationwide offer bounce back cards to match guests’ donations to Childhelp, one of the nation’s leading non-profits for child abuse. The cards are gifted in $5 increments up to $25 per visit. The campaign goes along with the pizzeria’s efforts to bring awareness and raise funds for any issues affecting children like their decade-long partnership with non-profit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

Childhelp is the brainchild of actresses Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson. They created the organization back in 1959 to help abused, neglected, and at-risk children. April was designated as “Child Abuse Prevention Month” in 1979 by former President Jimmy Carter.

“Here at Grimaldi’s, causes that support our nation’s children have always been near and dear to our hearts, so this fundraiser to benefit Childhelp was a no brainer for us. We’ve always seen incredible generosity from our guests and local communities on behalf of our fundraising campaigns, and we expect to make an impact this April,” says Grimaldi’s CEO and Childhelp board member Joseph Ciolli. “Child Abuse Prevention Month brings to light an issue we are proud to raise awareness for at neighborhood Grimaldi’s locations from coast to coast.”

Remember, all Grimaldi’s locations are open for dine-in and patio dining based on federal, state, and local guidelines with safety protocols. Find your local Grimaldi’s Pizzeria here.

Photo c/o Grimaldi’s Facebook