Hakki’s Pizza

IT'S ABOUT BEING HUMAN Don’t give to get, give to inspire others to give. “Living through giving” is the spirit of Hakki’s! Hakki Akdeniz Along the way, Hakki has become a pizza celebrity, won international pizza-making competitions, and his Instagram account has 4.8 million followers. While building this small pizza empire, he never forgot his time among the homeless. He passed out free slices to street people who came around asking. Eventually, he started a weekly food and clothing handout on the sidewalk on West 34th Street. As of 2018, he has donated two hundred thousand slices. This activity, currently held every Wednesday, has now expanded to include groups such as homeless aid foundations PCNY Street and Bowery Mission, as well as a number of celebrities and millions of Instagram followers. Also, Champion Pizza aids not only the less fortunate but also the hardest hit. In October 2012, when Hurricane Sandy inflicted a week-long power outage on New York City, Hakki served the neighborhood free pizza, courtesy of his gas ovens. In 2017, as Puerto Rico was reeling from Hurricane Maria, Champion Pizza organized relief efforts and shipped tons of food, water, and necessities to the island. For his commitment to supporting those in need, Hakki received citations and commendations from the New York City Council, the New York House of Representatives, the L.E.S Hispanic council, the State of New York, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, and the offices of the Mayor and the Manhattan Borough Presidents, as well as the 2019 Beacon Award, which is given by the Ellis Island Honors Society and American Immigrant Society.