Buddy's Specialty Pizzas Raise $6,000 to Protect Great Lakes

Customers who bought five specialty pizzas from Farmington Hills-based Buddy’s Pizza have helped raise $6,000 for the independent citizen’s organization Alliance for the Great Lakes.

“Michigan is truly a beautiful state, and we owe so much of that beauty to our amazing lakes and bodies of water,” said Robert Jacobs, president of Buddy’s Pizza. “We’re so pleased to present the Alliance for the Great Lakes with a donation that will not only be used to better the Great Lakes, but Belle Isle, which is an iconic Detroit landmark.”

In June 2012, Buddy’s Pizza joined forces with the nonprofit, which is devoted to protecting and restoring the Great Lakes through education, policy and citizen involvement, to unveil the Made in Michigan Great Lakes Pizza Collection. The collection featured five pies inspired by the Great Lakes.

In addition to a variety of campaigns and initiatives set forth by the Alliance, the donation from Buddy’s will be used to benefit an innovative restoration and education project targeted at returning 72 linear feet of shoreline and coastal wetland on Belle Isle and a litter reduction campaign.

The pizza collection was created to pay tribute to the family restaurant’s Michigan heritage and dedication to everything Pure Michigan. For each pizza from the collection sold, Buddy’s president, Robert Jacobs, announced he would donate $1 to the Alliance in support of the nonprofit’s efforts in maintaining a healthy Pure Michigan environment. 

Thanks to an overwhelming response from metro Detroit patrons, the collection fostered a substantial donation to benefit the nonprofit.

"In naming a pizza collection after the Great Lakes, Buddy's Pizza gave every customer a chance to protect this great regional resource -- something we at the Alliance for the Great Lakes do every day," said Joel Brammeier, Alliance president and CEO. "But we don't do it alone. When an established business like Buddy's makes the Great Lakes its priority, everyone who orders up shares in 'a piece of the pie.’" 

All five Made in Michigan Great Lakes pizzas will remain on the Buddy’s Pizza menu at all nine locations. 

The pizzas are:

• Lake Huron – Spinach and artichoke blend, roasted tomatoes, fresh spinach
• Lake Ontario – Fresh cilantro, Canadian bacon, grilled pineapple, Buddy’s BBQ sauce
• Lake Michigan – Ground beef, caramelized onions, blue cheese, tomato basil sauce
• Lake Erie – Red onion, roasted red peppers, salami, pepperoncini, tomato basil sauce
• Lake Superior – Fresh basil, pine nuts, pepperoni, tomato basil sauce, Buddy’s spice blend.

Source: Buddy's Pizza press release