Doing civic good with pizza? We're sold!

Among all of the chaos, confusion, and turmoil of 2020, it's uncomfortably easy to forget that a sizable part of Colorado was on fire for weeks on end. In fact, Colorado's wildfire season in 2020 was so severe that the top 3 biggest fires in Colorado history all happened within a 6-month period. 

Although news coverage of wildfires often slows once they're extinguished or fully contained, the damage that they cause doesn't fade as quickly. Healing from wildfires can take generations for a natural environment, and addressing the short-term damage is both expensive and time-consuming. That's why it's been so inspiring to see organizations like the NoCoFires Fund in action. Following damage to the Poudre and Big Thompson watersheds in Northern Colorado, the community rallied around this fund to restore the area for the sake of its wildlife, agriculture, and residents. 

One of the participants in this fundraising caught our eye—and our tastebuds! Smokin' Oak Wood-Fired Pizza in Broomfield was one of the local businesses that rose to the occasion and contributed to the restoration of these vital environments. Their solution was as practical as it was delicious: through November and December, they donated $1 to the NoCoFires Fund for every pizza they sold. 

It's no secret that we're pretty enthusiastic about wood-fired pizzas at OCN. It shouldn't come as a surprise that we got pretty excited when checking out Smokin' Oak Pizza's menu. They don't shy away from wild topping combinations. That makes a huge difference with wood-fired cooking, where pizzas are cooked at extremely high temperatures for a short time to really bring out the flavor profile of its toppings. Our personal favorite is their Alfredo-Licious, which is exactly what it sounds like: alfredo sauce, applewood bacon, mozzarella, red onions, and spinach. It's fantastic!

Pizza talk aside, this fundraising made quite a difference. While $1 per pizza may not seem like a huge amount, it added up fast. After just a few weeks of fundraising, Smokin' Oak Pizza had raised a whopping $5,527! That's a lot of pizzas! 

Stories like this feel especially poignant as we think about all the potential that 2021 has to offer. Seeing the power of wood-fired pizza being used to address wildfire damage and help heal some of the communities affected is a refreshing reminder of the good we can accomplish when we work together. As we figure out just what kind of year 2021 is going to be, it's important to remember that doing good can be as simple as community-minded pizza nights. 

Plus, we're not going to say no to any good deed that involves eating pizza. 

Have you been to Smokin' Oak Pizza? If so, tell us about your experience.