This was posted in the Asbury Park Press Newspaper in New Jersey.

Hillsborough: A township pizzeria owner wants to help 7 year old Christopher Cusack achieve his goal of collecting 517 additional coats for children in need to wear during the winter.

Bella Pizza owner Akhtar Farzaie plans to begin giving away one large, free plain pizza to every customer donating a "gently used" winter coat. Farzaie came up with the idea after reading a Courier News article about Christopher's goal to collect 1,000 coats by December 2011.

To date the Amsterdam Elementary School second grader has collected 483 coats during the past two years. In December 2007, Christopher collected 188 coats. 

Reading this just hit a cord with me, what a wonderful step up to the plate story, a local business helps a young boy achieve his dream.  It brings to mind how businesses today, need to take note and learn a thing or two from Akhtar Farzaie.  Like everything else in life when you give you get back. 

I am sure the community will look at Bella Pizza in a different light, and I could guess business sales have gone up. Just as I will remember the credit card company that has raised my interest rate for no reason.  I will never use that bank credit card again, way after the economy is back in shape. 

I'm sure you remember Macy's in the Miracle on 34th Street. Macy's was kind enough to send people to Gimbels when they didn't have an item. Through this recession, I felt a loyalty to shop at Macy's if I needed something.  Macy's is good business, Bella Pizza is good business, consumers are cognizant of this. 

I hope that more companies step up and give back to the communities that support them . . .   We need to bring that good business concept back to America where consumers are treated like people again.