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Mod Pizza launches inclusiveness campaign for disabled

Photo: iStock

September 26, 2019

Mod Pizza said this week that it's partnered with Best Buddies International — which works for inclusiveness for those with intellectual and other disabilities — to raise awareness about hiring these individuals and provide donations to support the Best Buddies Jobs Program, according to a news release. 

MOD will give at least $50,000 to the organization, while Best Buddies will provide development and training tools that support MOD store managers with hiring and developing individuals with such disabilities. The brand already employs about 300 employees who fall into this group at its more than 455 locations in the U.S. and U.K.

"At Mod, we often say 'talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not'. And when we learned that 81% of adults with disabilities do not have paying jobs in their communities, we knew the platform of Mod could be used to address this social issue," co-founder and Chief Purpose Officer Ally Svenson, said in the release. 
As part of the Best Buddies affiliation, the brand is also featuring: 

• A Best Buddies "No Name Cake" from now through Nov. 4 as an LTO that it will donate 20 cents of each sale to the organization. The vanilla cake has strawberry cream icing topped with white glaze and sprinkles for $2.47.
• The "Jeffrey" seasonal pizza — celebrating one of Mod's first employees with such disabilities, now with the chain for more than six year. The pie features an olive oil base, house-roasted apple, Canadian bacon, arugula, mozzarella, gorgonzola and a balsamic fig glaze. 
• Oct. 19 fundraiser day at 100-plus U.S. locations which will donate 20% of all sales to Best Buddies International. 
• "Our World" Poem written by poet Andrea Gibson for MOD that imagines an inclusive world, recited by several employees for downloading online. 
• All Pizzas Welcome Book written by Andrea Gibson and illustrated by Oscar Cauda, that includes stories of Mod employees "and the world they're helping to create," which can also be downloaded and shared via the brand's website. 
• MOD Squad Support using Best Buddies best-in-class training programs, and resources to meet the needs of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including diversity and inclusion training, accessibility checklist, sensitivity etiquette, interviewing tips, onboarding checklists, and top 10 questions asked when hiring a person with a disability.