MELVINDALE, Mich. (WXYZ) — The power of social media was on full display at the corner of Allen Road and Clarence as people saw this clip of Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy doing one of his well-known and extremely popular pizza ratings.
Fredi Bello, aka Fredi the Pizza Man has been floored by the turnout, even though he didn’t necessarily want it.
“Many people said you gotta get this guy in here and I used to say all the time, ‘no I don’t want him in here, I said if he comes here, he’s going to completely blow my place up’, then what he’s done for the foundation, I said if he calls me, he’s in,” restaurant owner Fredi Bello said.
The foundation he speaks of is one that is a project Fredi has been working on for years. Fredi The Pizzaman Foundation raises awareness for autism, while also raising funds to equip sensory rooms in schools around the state of Michigan. Since Portnoy’s posting of the video last night, more than 23,000 dollars has been raised for the cause. The outpouring of support has come in droves from random folks to even Fredi’s competitors.
“I love this guy, I love the work he does and heard the story, my daughter works with autistic kids so our company Is willing to donate $1,000 dollars to the cause,” Pizza Papalis owner Joe Sheena said.
“Pizza’s given me everything in my life, it’s my way to giving back, autism has touched my family and our family is helping others in need and that’s our purpose,” Bello added.
If you would like to support the Fredi The Pizzaman Foundation, you can do so by clicking here.