A trio of downtown Longmont pizzerias are joining forces to help fight food insecurity, launching a new nonprofit initiative called Pizza With Purpose.
Urban Field Pizza and Market, Antonio’s Real NY Pizza and Rosalee’s Pizzeria have formed the organization to coordinate fundraising and community events centered around hunger relief. The initiative officially launches on Feb. 9, National Pizza Day.
From Feb. 9 to Feb. 15, the restaurants will donate $1 from every pepperoni or cheese pizza sold to Slice Out Hunger, a national nonprofit that partners with pizzerias to address food insecurity. The group is also planning the inaugural Colorado Pizza Festival, set for Sept. 5 in downtown Longmont.
The effort was spearheaded by Urban Field. Co-founder and CEO Paul Nashak said the idea grew out of concerns about potential disruptions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in late 2025.
Within days, an Urban Field employee with nonprofit experience helped organize a food drive at the restaurant, which provided 170 family-size meals distributed to SNAP recipients.
“We were amazed at what a great impact food insecurity has on Longmont. The turnout was outrageous, and people were just so thankful,” he said.
It was an inspiring experience, Nashak said, and it sparked a broader idea. Urban Field co-founder Nick Swanson coined the phrase “pizza with purpose,” and Nashak saw an opportunity to formalize the effort by partnering with nearby pizzerias.
“The first thing we approached those guys with was just the nonprofit, the philanthropic union of us,” Nashak said. “And then we pitched them right after that on the festival.”
Anthony DeSousa, owner of Antonio’s, jumped at the opportunity to take part. During the Covid pandemic, DeSousa put a sheet pan rack out on the street in front of his Estes Park location, stocking it with foods like bread, beans and flour for anybody who needed it. During the SNAP disruptions, he did the same thing at his pizzerias in Estes Park and Longmont, which opened in 2024.
“You could see people just come in and grab some beans and rice and leave. It was really a cool thing,” he said. “People thank me in the supermarket, they’ll be like, ‘Hey, I didn’t get to say thanks, but thanks for the food during Covid.’ And it’s pretty wild that people remember you because I don’t remember the guy’s face, but he remembers me.
“And that’s how much impact you have when people are really in trouble. So to me, it’s the best thing you can do in this life.”
He said dealing with food insecurity resonates a lot with him.
“I grew up poor and I remember what it was like to be hungry, so this is really an important thing to me,” he said. “I’m 57 years old, and I still remember being 10 years old, 12 years old, and not having any food in the house. So to me, the whole point is if you’ve been blessed, aren’t you supposed to bless others if you proclaim yourself a Christian?”
James Ross, owner of Rosalee’s, said he had long wanted to partner with Slice Out Hunger, and the creation of a local nonprofit was the push he needed to make that happen.
“Sometimes you’re like, ‘How am I making a difference?’ Pizza, I think, always just equals happiness. And I think this — with all the pizzerias getting together — is not only something super fun for the whole community because everyone’s into pizza. But then it’s also giving back in a way beyond just happiness.”
The three pizzerias sit within walking distance of one another on Main Street — Urban Field at 150 Main St., Antonio’s at 325 Main St. and Rosalee’s at 461 Main St. In a town with nine pizzerias stretching from First Street to 21st Street, they could easily see each other as competitors. But the three owners say their different styles allow them to collaborate without rivalry.
“There seems to be enough people in town that we can make everybody happy without putting one of us out” of business, Ross said.
DeSousa said there were no egos at the table.
“To get everybody in a room and see so much cooperation was awesome,” he said. “There’s a lot of passion, and we’re all trying to do good stuff because we realize we have potential to impact big numbers.”
Nashak said his company’s New Year’s resolution is to get to know its neighbors at every location.
“In the last year, I can’t get my mind off the fact that if we keep focusing on what makes our beliefs different, I don’t think we’re going to create the kind of society that I’d want to live in, and it’s hard to make a difference in this day and age, but I think you have a pretty unique platform as business owners,” he said. “I think when you feel good about helping people, you’re encouraged to do it again and again.”
The collaboration will continue with the Colorado Pizza Festival, expected to include 20 or more pizzerias from across the state, along with local breweries, music, amateur pizza competitions and kids’ events. There will also be a “not quite serious” Pizza Olympics, Nashak said.
The festival will be held in the space between First Street and Third Street from Emery Street to Martin Street that is used for Longmont’s Fourth of July celebration. Tickets will start at $10 and will go on sale May 1. Kids 12 and under will get in for free. That area is owned by Nashak’s landlord, and they’ve been considering various iterations of an event over the years.
“We settled on the pizza festival because it was a way for downtown Longmont restaurants, namely the three pizzerias, to join forces,” he said.
“Pizza is such a popular food choice. It’s something that everyone can — no pun intended — sink their teeth into. And I think it’s an area where we can do good work and help out and have an actual impact on local communities.”