A new pizza restaurant opening in Chicago will be doing more than just dishing out delicious pies. Scheduled to launch July 31, Peace of Pizza will serve as a safe haven for youths to develop interpersonal and professional skills all while learning the trades of the restaurant business.

"Eat a slice and save a life," Tamar Manasseh, founder of Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings (M.A.S.K.) and Peace of Pizza said to The Chicago Sun-Times. "Just eating pizza with us can help reduce gun violence because we are getting the youth out of the streets and giving them valuable skills."

Founded in 2015, M.A.S.K. works to intercept acts of violence across Chicago neighborhoods through charitable acts like counseling and helping homeless teens find permanent homes. About 25% of profits earned will go toward helping M.A.S.K. finance initiatives that work to control food insecurity, housing issues and violence in Englewood. 

"We are really hoping this can be a future model for investing directly into our neighborhood since we often struggle to gain partnership with city government," Manasseh explained. "This is an example of where the business community and the nonprofit community can work together."

According to the Chicago Center For Youth Violence Protection, an average of 12 adolescents becomes a victim to homicide each day. 

Peace of Pizza will have three permanent team members and hire three more teenagers as interns who will work in the restaurant between three and six months at a time. Manasseh adds this will especially help those struggling to find work due to a criminal offense on their record.

"I got all of these kids that say they want to leave the streets, but they can't get a job because they have a [criminal] record. It breaks my heart when young people ask me to help find them a job and I can't … but now I will be able to."

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