I met a man tonight named David. He’s 57 years old. He has a neatly trimmed beard, clean clothes, wears glasses, and was drinking a Mountain Dew. He grew up being bounced around several group homes and as a very young man entered the Army, where he spent seven years and left as a sergeant. Fifteen years ago he got involved with the wrong person, took the rap for a crime he didn’t commit, and went to jail. He said he would do it again, which made me ask if it was for a woman he loved. He said yes, then shook his head and continued with his story.

He used to paint water towers, but when he developed emphysema from that job he became a construction worker. Last year around Thanksgiving he became sick and was hospitalized with pneumonia, draining his savings. He lost his job and he lost his small house. He had a hard time collecting unemployment because “Scott Walker makes it impossible.” He lost everything in a matter of months. David is homeless.

Last year around Thanksgiving he became sick and was hospitalized with pneumonia, draining his savings. He lost his job and he lost his small house. He lost everything in a matter of months. David is homeless.

I met David at The Plus in downtown Eau Claire on South Barstow Street. The Plus (formerly known as Pizza Plus) is owned by Benny Haas, a Chippewa Falls native. Benny was sitting in a city meeting one day where the topic of a “downtown problem” was mentioned regarding the homeless. After reading an article in a restaurateur magazine about how other cities help their homeless populations, Benny saw that there were so many avenues to “be proactive and not reactive.” Following a visit from a representative from a local church wanting to do a “pay it forward” type of ministry to feed people, Pizza It Forward was born.

Pizza It Forward is available at The Plus from 11am-midnight (as long as the kitchen is open) and provides a personal one-topping pizza to anyone in need of a free meal. Benny shared an experience that happened on Saturday morning at the restaurant. They received a phone call from a woman asking if The Plus was the place where you get free pizza. An hour later a woman with three kids was sitting at the bar wanting pizza. Benny describes the learning curve with his staff: All judgment should go out the window, and all people deserve to be treated like human beings. “If someone comes and asks they won’t be turned away,” he says.

The Plus has served more than 2,000 free meals since last May. A local church started covering costs with donations, but the program has grown so much that donations no longer cover the cost of the food and Benny is paying for it himself.

When asked if he has any regrets since starting Pizza It Forward, Benny immediately responds with “No.” He has no plans to stop feeding those in need and said that, if anything, the program will grow into something else. He lives by his family mantra: “You give to get in this life.” The Plus sees regular patrons of Pizza It Forward, some everyday. Benny describes the “regulars” as very appreciative, busing their own tables, saying please and thank you and even being on a first-name basis with the staff. And speaking of the staff: Now that you know they are using their time to wait on Pizza It Forward patrons while also waiting on you, maybe you can throw a couple of extra bucks their way.

The buffet at The Plus.

I spent a good deal of time talking to David, and I thought I would duck out when he got his pizza so he could eat it in peace. After some time passed, I asked him where his food was and he said he didn’t order any. I apologized for taking his time and was excusing myself so he could order. It was then that he smiled and said he wasn’t ordering food, he just needed to rest and the food should go to someone else who needed it, that he “ate pretty good today.”

Talking to David humbled and educated me. I learned that a huge obstacle for the homeless is the lack of affordable housing. The city of Milwaukee has a program called Housing First and says that it’s cheaper to house someone for a month than to put them in jail for a weekend. David told me about an experience he recently had where he had enough cash in his pocket to rent an unfurnished room but was turned away due to his record 15 years prior. When asked where he was sleeping that night, he said the Sojourner House, that they were “pretty good to people.”

The Sojourner House was started in 2011 and provides shelter for men and women over the age of 18 as well as a place to wash their clothes, shower, and eat breakfast in the morning. They average 40 guests a night: 32 men and eight women.

David, Benny, and Dan from the Sojourner House all agree that homeless people need to be treated like your good neighbors. They need a purpose to be alive. It doesn’t cost a thing to show compassion; it’s what makes a community that much stronger.

If you want to help feed the homeless through Benny’s program Pizza It Forward, he has started a Go Fund Me account and has a jar in the bar at The Plus where donations can be made.