Paying it forward, one slice at a time
Summerside man buys $100 worth of pizza for people in need
SUMMERSIDE — After years of experiencing hard times, Lyle Stewart is giving back to the community in the form of pizza.
“I’ve had friends that were into drugs and everything,” he said. “So I was trying to help people out.”
On May 22, Stewart walked into Dino’s Pizza in Summerside with $100 to spend on pizza slices for people in need.
It was something he’d wanted to do for the past few years, as a way to return the favour to a city that had helped him when he was at his lowest.
He was bullied as a kid, he said. His first job was with the city.
His teenage years were troubled; Stewart said the police could have taken him to jail, but took him home instead.
When he was 15, he lost his father to drugs and alcohol.
In adulthood, he cut grass for a living and struggled financially.
“I grew up basically from nothing,” said Stewart. “I’m better off now than I was as a kid.”
Recently, a new job at Atlantic Liquidators made Stewart’s act of kindness possible.
“I got my paycheque from there, and I was determined to go do it this year.”
Rami Ayoub, owner of Dino’s in Summerside, said he was surprised by Stewart’s act of generosity.
“He’s always watching how much he spends when he orders, so I just never expected it,” said Ayoub. “I kind of questioned it a couple of times.”
Ayoub wondered if he misheard — initially refusing to take the money, according to Stewart — but Stewart insisted.
“He looked like he won the lottery,” said Ayoub.
“It definitely put a smile on everybody’s faces and made everybody nod their heads, like there are still good people here.”
Stewart is not the first person at Dino’s to buy slices for others, and he certainly won’t be the last. Two weeks ago, an old staff member at Dino’s — who now lives in Ontario — used his $200 of tips on suspended slices for others.
Dino’s adopted the suspended slice system back in
2016. People can come by and pay in advance for someone else’s pizza. Slices up for grabs are represented by stones in a dish at the counter.
Anyone who needs a free slice is welcome to use one of the stones in lieu of payment.
“We don’t judge when people use those slices,” said Ayoub. “A doctor can come in and say ‘I want a suspended slice’ ... It’s there for anybody to use. We don’t want to make
anybody uncomfortable when they do use it.”
Although $100 only bought 33 suspended slices, Ayoub said those slices will last a while — they don’t go through many a day, but they’re important for the people that do use them.
“I hope that one of them will eventually turn their life around,” said Stewart. “Or do what I did in some way or another.”