Pontiac: Business Owner Donation Makes Pizza Patrol Possible
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 17, 2015)
When Bob Angona purchased his first Little Caesars franchise location 20 years ago in Pontiac, he had no idea that one day he’d be managing dozens of employees and serving customers out of twelve locations. With stores in Birmingham, Holly, Milford, Orion Township, Waterford and White Lake there are plenty of communities that he feels a part of. But it’s his two in Pontiac that gave him a start.
“I grew up in Pontiac,” Angona said. “Pontiac is very important to me. I graduated from Northern High School and I look for ways to give back to the community.”
Angona had heard of programs where police officers have something nice they can give away to people they notice doing good things while they are out on patrol. For example in Ferndale, Police give a Slurpee certificate to kids on bikes that are obeying laws and wearing their helmet. And in Hazel Park the Neighborhood Enrichment Group had a fundraiser so the police could buy stuffed animals or coloring books to give to youngsters to build trust. In December Oakland County was able to do Operation Pig Out, giving away ham for the holidays.
In Pontiac, thanks to Angona, The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department is now on Pizza Patrol. He has donated enough certificates for patrol deputies to give out 100 free pizzas a week for the next six weeks.
“If we start rewarding people for the positive things instead of dwelling on the negative and work to make Pontiac a safer place, then why not pizza?” he said.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard is grateful for the donation. “Anytime we can do a program where we can connect with the community on a deeper level, on a personal relationship level, on a non-traditional police encounter, where you’re not pulling someone over or you’re not on a call but you’re giving them a reward for just chatting with them, that helps deepen relationships. It’s a positive thing. And obviously today in the world of police work, one of the biggest focuses for us is how we can better connect with the community we serve,” he said. “If we were gave them food from the jail, that’s a whole other story,” he joked.
Angona said he’s grateful for the service the Sheriff’s Department provides. “As a business owner that’ important, that the area is safe,” he said. He said that since Oakland County has taken over policing Pontiac, response times have been improved and crime has gone down. “If I have a problem they send 2-3 cars out in less than 5 minutes. They’ve very responsive.”
Pizza Patrol cards are not limited to children. Bouchard said they can be for people doing a good deed, following the law, helping someone else, or even just someone having a rough day that could use a little cheering up.
“This is something that will bring a lot of smiles and help us better connect to the community and we appreciate it very very much,” Bouchard said.