Minnesota Pizza Shop’s Dumpster Discovery Inspires Wave Of Kindness

August 3, 2025

What started as a troubling discovery behind a small pizza shop in Minnesota has turned into a beautiful example of compassion and community.

On July 29, Heights Pizza Man in Columbia Heights, just north of Minneapolis, shared a heartfelt post on Facebook after realizing people had been eating out of their dumpster.

Heights Pizza Man

“I don’t even know how to start this post but here goes,” wrote Chris Kolstad, owner of Heights Pizza Man. “Please do not eat out of our dumpster. Nobody deserves that.”

Rather than responding with frustration, Kolstad extended an open hand. He encouraged anyone in need of food to simply ask—no questions, no judgment. For those too embarrassed, he offered an alternative: leave a note, and they’d quietly set aside extra food or small cheese pizzas near the back door, away from view.

“If you are that desperate for food, please come ask,” Kolstad continued. “If you are too embarrassed to ask, find a way to call us and ask if there is a way to leave a small cheese pizza outside the back door or something. You don't even have to see us. If you are the ones doing so, leave me a note and we will find a way to leave any extras or mistakes out back so you have something to eat without going through the trash. If you see this, I will be leaving a cheese pizza outside the back door in the spot you've been leaving boxes.”

The message struck a chord. Within days, the pizza shop's post had gone viral, earning thousands of likes and hundreds of supportive comments. But the most powerful response came in the form of action.

The restaurant reported that in under 24 hours, over $1,100 had been donated via their shared Venmo account. Thanks to that outpouring of support, Heights Pizza Man can now provide several free pizzas a day for the next three months—plus donate groceries to two local food banks.

“We did not expect nearly the kind of response we have gotten off of this,” the shop posted in an update. “The support over the last 24 hours has been unreal.”

And it didn’t stop there. New customers have been flocking to the restaurant, helping boost business and fueling even more generosity.

What began as a heartbreaking sign of hunger has become a shining example of what happens when a small act of kindness meets a community ready to rally behind it.