Where to start? Thank you SO MUCH for everyone who came over and grabbed a Heggies Pizza on the weirdest Thanksgiving of all time. A special thank you to:
— Anybody and everybody, from Minnesota or otherwise, who made a donation to Second Harvest Heartland.
— Thank you to Heggies Pizza for supplying all the pizzas for this wonderful holiday and making a donation to Second Harvest Heartland.
— Thank you to Glen Perkins for supplying the pizza ovens. Proven closer and legend in my book forever.
— Thank you to Dan Stepehnson for the pizza boxes and a thermo box to keep the pizzas warm while I delivered them outside.
— The biggest thank you needs to go to my wife Heather who not only agreed to let me do this, but cooked pizzas with me all day. This would have been a total flop without her help. She is the absolute greatest.
A lot of people have been wondering how much money was raised by #Heggesgiving, and to be honest, I am not sure. I didn’t have a way to keeping track of the official amount, but so many people reached out I know that you all donated a significant amount money to Second Harvest Heartland and that warms my heart. Thanks for supporting this goofy, fun endeavor.
Next #Heggsgiving is going to be even bigger! Stay tuned.
***UPDATE November 16th***
The response and outpouring of love for Heggsgiving has been so tremendous that I need to officially stop taking orders! There are only so many pizzas one man can cook in a single afternoon! Thank you to everyone who has ordered a pie and donated to Second Harvest Heartland. Thanks to all the people who don’t need a pizza but donated to Second Harvest Heartland in the spirit of things. It is all so amazing to see. Just warms my heart thinking about it all.
Quick thank yous to the people that went above and beyond:
Heggies for donating the pizzas.
Glen Perkins for donating the pizza ovens.
Dan Stephenson for donating the pizza boxes.
***UPDATE November 13th***
Well how about this? The wonderful people at Heggies Pizza have reached out and are going to donate all the pizzas for the occasion. How amazing is that?! Not only are they donating the pizzas to Heggsgiving, but they will be making a donation to Second Harvest Heartland for each pizza we give out on Heggsgiving. This also means my personal donation to Second Harvest will be even bigger since I am no longer covering the cost of these delicious pizzas. Niiiice.
So keep those orders coming! Can still handle a bunch more before I need to cap it. The way it looks right now the 4pm hour is most wide open but I can make just about anything work. I will have three pizza ovens going thanks to former Twin and all-around badass Glen Perkins. Can always just give you a frozen Heggies, too, if you prefer to cook it on your own.
To place an order: email WesselPrep@gmail.com and specify desired pickup time (2-6pm, but again, the 4pm hour is the least busy so far on the handy-dandy spreadsheet I created) and what type of ‘za (Double Cheese, Pepperoni, or Sausage). I live on Nicollet Avenue near downtown Minneapolis and will give you all the safe and socially distant instructions for pickup once you order.
All I ask in return is that you make a donation to Second Harvest Heartland to help keep bellies full for people in Minnesota during this awful winter ahead. Don’t need a pizza but have a few extra bucks to spare? Please donate. Hunger is going to be an even bigger problem than ever here in Minnesota in the months ahead. We are all in this together, friends.
Happy Heggsgiving.
***UPDATE November 7th***
A few FAQs to update everyone as we get closer to Heggsgiving.
Can I still make an order?
Yes! The orders are filling up and I might need to cap things soon but you can still place an order at WesselPrep@gmail.com. Just tell me what kind of Heggies you want and what time you want to pick it up. Right now the 4pm and 5pm hours are best. 2pm and 3pm is pretty packed.
I don’t need a pizza but can I still contribute?
Yes! Absolutely. This is all to help our fellow Minnesotans have full bellies this upcoming winter. COVID is going to make hunger an even bigger problem than normal. So please, please donate to Second Harvest Heartland if you are able.
Can I order more than one pizza?
You sure can, but I am going to limit it to two. I won’t be able to handle much more than that.
Can I place an order for a frozen pizza without you cooking it?
Absolutely! Swing by and grab a frozen Heggies for you to cook yourself at home.
Are you the sexiest man alive?
THE sexiest? I mean, I dunno. Definitely top three for sure.
***UPDATE November 5th***
The amazing and proven closer Glen Perkins has supplied Heggsgiving with more pizza ovens to help increase the output. So keep those orders coming at WesselPrep@gmail.com. And if you can’t make it to Minneapolis or don’t need a delicious Heggies Pizza, please consider making a donation to Second Harvest Heartland in the spirit of things. As mentioned, this is going to be a long, cold winter with a lot of our neighbors in Minnesota wondering where their next meal will come. Nobody should go hungry.
***Original Post***
We all know Thanksgiving is gonna be different this year. Well, in all honesty, it is going to be weird as hell. The usual big get-togethers won’t be happening. A lot of traditional Thanksgiving dinners won’t be had because cooking an entire turkey and 17 sides for a small group is a bit excessive.
It is all pretty sad really. So I came up with an idea that might make things a little cheerier. Happy Heggsgiving to one and all!
What is Heggsgiving you ask? I am going to fire up my pizza oven and cook Heggies Pizzas for people to come pick up curbside in contactless fashion. Best part? Free of charge! All I ask is that you donate to Second Harvest Heartland to help those in need as we approach winter in Minnesota. A lot of people in our community are going to be struggling this winter and we need to help them now more than ever.
Few fine print details:
- You have to be able to come pick the pizza up from my place. I live in a condo building on Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis. I will give my exact address and instructions on how to buzz into my lobby where we can do a contactless pickup once an order is confirmed.
- No deliveries. The staff at Heggsgiving is a one man operation.
- I will not accept any money or tips of any kind. I am doing this to put the giving back in Thanksgiving. Again, all I ask is that you pay it forward with a donation to Second Harvest Heartland. There are going to be a lot of hungry people this winter. Let’s take care of each other.
- Orders will be limited. To what, I do not know. I guess I am waiting to gauge how many people would actually come pick up a cooked frozen pizza from someone they may have never met in real life on Thanksgiving Day. Kind of a big ask! But hey, free Heggies. Who knows? Maybe I will only be cooking one pizza.
- I will either be ordering custom pizza boxes or trying to convince a local pizza place to donate some. I won’t just be handing you a cooked pizza on the cardboard and making you drive home with it on your lap.
- The pickup window will be between 2-6pm on Thanksgiving Day. Tell me a time that works for you when you make an order that works for you in that window.
- Heggies has a bunch of different types of pizza but in an effort to make things easier I will be limiting it. Double Cheese (for the veggies and Kevin McCallaster), Sausage, or Pepperoni.
- The pizza will be cut into squares. A Heggies Pizza cut into triangles is a crime against humanity in which should be a life sentence in prison.
- I think that is everything? If you are interested in being a part of the first ever Heggsgiving you can place your order by emailing me at WesselPrep@gmail.com. Include your name, type of pizza, and desired pickup time. Happy Heggsgiving!
Dana Wessel 