Chef Spike Mendelsohn of We, The Pizza, with National Guard troops and a donated pie.

/ Courtesy of We, The Pizza

The photos went viral: National Guard troops hunkered down on the floor of the U.S. Capitol, surrounded by symbols of democracy as well as camouflaged gear and guns, chowing down on donated pizza.

Micheline Mendelsohn, one of the owners of Capitol Hill pizzeria We, The Pizza, says it started when a member of Congress put in an order for 25 pizzas for troops on Jan. 13. The restaurant matched the order, donating 25 more pies. But Mendelsohn says when she saw photos of troops in the Capitol, “I said to my manager, Rob, you know, 50 pizzas, that’s nothing. Just go ahead and send them 100.”

The troop-feeding project took off, expanding to include 18 local restaurants, including Good Stuff Eatery, PLNT Burger, Maketto, Chiko, and District Doughnuts. Residents can pitch in too — the restaurants are taking donations online ($12 feeds four troops).

We, The Pizza, has already baked 1,500 pies for the effort, feeding 300 – 400 troops a day, according to Mendelsohn.

But it all raised a question: do the hired troops being paid to protect the Capitol actually … need all those donations? Some on social media criticized the effort to feed already-well-fed troops, when so many in the city are in need during the pandemic.

 

Shortly after photos of troops sleeping on the ground and eating donated pizza hit Twitter, the guard published a story on its website on Jan 16., titled, “National Guard members getting the support they need in DC.”

Troops in District “are receiving proper lodging when off duty and three meals a day,” according to National Guard officials quoted in the story. In fact, the D.C. Army National Guard is providing 18,000 meals a day and counting.

Mendelsohn says she understands the criticism popping up on social media. “If we weren’t there, the troops would be eating,” she acknowledges. “But this is more of a ‘thank you’ to people that are coming in to defend democracy in our backyard.”

And, she says, the restaurant has for years participated in efforts to feed people in need, partnering with D.C. Central Kitchen and Food Rescue US.

Mendelsohn also points out that when residents donate to feed the National Guard, they’re not just supporting the troops, but also local restaurants that have been devastated during the pandemic.

“A lot of us are seeing businesses that we’ve built and brands that we’ve tried to maintain over the years, slowly crumbling.”

The donations aren’t only going to National Guard troops, but also to Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police, and D.C. Fire and EMS.

“On one hand, we feel so thankful that the troops are there because they are protecting something that we see is so sacred,” says Micheline Mendelsohn, one of the owners of the family-run business.  “On the other hand, we’re equally sad that it had to come to this.”

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