Community Support

It's more than making great pizza.

Giving back to our community has been a part of the Malnati tradition since 1971 when Lou and Jean hosted their first annual charity event to raise a scholarship fund for a local athlete that would play football at Wake Forest University, in the name of famous Chicago Bear Brian Piccolo, who passed away from cancer.

Since 1971, this tradition of generosity has flourished and grown to include so many ways we give back to our community. It also goes by a different name.

Nowadays, we simply say, “Kindness Rocks!”

Why? One of our long-time Lakewood Lou’s team members, Megan Sunde, lost her battle with cancer. Amongst our team, she was known and loved for her positive attitude in life and her motto, “Kindness Rocks!” Megan inspired our company to adopt her saying as the name of the charitable heart of Lou Malnati’s.

Lou Malnati’s is proud to make positive contributions to our community through:

Fundraising Opportunities

Host a fundraiser at Lou Malnati’s or sell frozen pizza coupons and keep the profits. Proof of your non-profit status is required. Find out which program is best for your organization. See the Programs ›

Charitable Donations

Lou Malnati’s is happy to support local charities that meet our donation criteria by donating for a raffle, silent auction items or finding another way to support. Start Now ›

Participating in Community Events

You’ll find our friendly faces and delicious deep dish pizza at many local events and the Lou Malnati’s managers you see on site are the same people you will see at your local Lou’s when you’re out for pizza on a Friday night. Hosting an event in your community? Tell us about it! Email [email protected] and include the details.

Lou Malnati’s Annual Cancer Research Benefit

Lou and Jean’s charity event in 1971 was just the first of many. To date, the Lou Malnati Cancer Research Foundation has raised more than $4 million to benefit organizations who are dedicated to finding a cure for cancer, including the Lou and Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute. Learn More ›

Volunteering in Our Community

When one of our store teams is passionate about a particular organization in their community, Lou Malnati’s empowers them to spend some time volunteering at that organization. For every hour team members spend volunteering, Lou Malnati’s donates $10 back to that organization.