Ashton Samuelson
Owner, Pitza 42
Two passions in my life have always been kids and food. This past year, these two loves came together in an incredible way to change my life and the lives of many others. Learning that 18,000 kids die each day from starvation, my husband and I decided that something must be done. From that, Pitza 42 was born and answers the simple question, “What if there was a restaurant that donated a meal for every meal purchased?” Our mission is to provide healthy “pitza” with the purpose of saving lives.
On Power
People often underestimate the power of faith and quarters. We quickly learned it only takes 22 cents to feed a child for a day, but it takes a lot of faith to move from knowledge to action.
I felt most powerful when we planned a MobilePack event and 491 people showed up to pack 109,000 meals to be shipped to hungry kids in Zimbabwe. The best part was seeing their fulfillment in making a difference in Conway that would be felt in Africa. A true sign of power is influencing others to make a difference for something far greater than themselves.
On Success
For me it’s not about success, but fulfillment. Every day we get up and we know children’s lives are sustained. The fight is won when no child is hungry.
On Motivation
I love creating recipes, making people happy with food, speaking to schools/groups, working with my best friend and making a difference around the world.
My career goal is to reach 78 restaurants. It seems random, but it’s very intentional; 18,000 die hungry each day. A total of 78 restaurants could feed 18,000 kids every day—it makes ending world hunger seem much easier.
Powerful Day
Speaking is my favorite part of the job. A few months ago, I spoke to sixth-graders at Vilonia Middle School about the journey from hunger to hope. A few days later, one of the teachers called and said, ‘We have a surprise! We are going to bring by a check for 1,200 meals for kids around the world.’ These sixth-graders took the initiative and asked permission to have a ‘hats off to hunger’ day. Everyone brought a dollar and made a difference. It brought me to tears. They got it—and they did something to change it!
The Quiz
- Favorite place in Arkansas? Pinnacle Mountain, where my husband and I go to hike, plan and dream.
- Favorite Restaurant? Big Orange—white truffle burger with sweet potato fries.
(See the full list of the 2012 Women to Watch here!)