Central Virginia Papa Johns partners with USO to feed troops

For the sixth year in a row, Papa Johns of Central Virginia and its locally-owned franchise operator PJ Cheese, Inc. provided free “welcome home” pizzas for troops Dec. 20 and 21 at Richmond International Airport.

The company began offering pizzas in 2016, after being contacted by the United Service Organizations.

“We immediately began the prep work to make this happen,” said Stephanie Smith Paul of Papa Johns.

Since then, Papa Johns has committed to feeding the troops at the event each year, whether during the ice storm of 2016 or during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

The troops coming home are stationed at Fort Lee, and late December is the busiest time of the year for their return. Team members from Papa Johns worked side-by-side with the USO and the local chapter of the Blue Star Mothers to hand out each pizza. Papa Johns provides as many as 3,000 pizzas at the annual event and delivers additional pizzas to troops currently at Fort Lee – with food costs of more than $16,500, all donated by Papa Johns Pizza Corporate from the Garner, N.C. commissary.

PJ Cheese, Inc. operates 21 Papa Johns locations in Central Virginia and Charlottesville.