Pizzeria Owner Repays Amish Who Helped After 2013 Fire

How about a feel-good story? Delta, Pennsylvania lies in extreme southern York County. Amish live in two places in the county – five or six church districts lying across the Susquehanna river (technically part of the Lancaster County settlement), and a separate stand-alone community.

It turns out local Amish have been glad for the generosity of one area business owner. From Reader’s Digest:

In 2013, right before Christmas, Delta Pizza burned to the ground. It was a big deal in the tiny hamlet of Delta, Pennsylvania. The remote town of some 700 people on the Maryland border doesn’t have a lot of options when it comes to where to eat.

Then, something magical happened.

“We’re cleaning up and I heard this noise outside, like a train was coming through,” says Sal Ferranti, the owner since his father, Guiseppe, died in 1999. “It was 30 Amish men in buggies. They helped for one day with the demolition of the building.”

As it turns out, they were just returning the favor. For years, Sal had been making sure that extra food from catering jobs would make it to Amish folks who needed it.

Two years later, Delta Pizza reopened. Since then, Sal has been repaying the kindness in his own way:

So after Delta Pizza’s grand reopening in 2015, Sal knew what he had to do. Each year he chooses a different Amish family who helped with the demolition and spends two hard days laboring on their farm, picking tomatoes or tobacco, or whatever they need done.

“They were so giving and so helping, I have to give back to them, to everyone who helped,” Sal says.

Sal has an inspirational immigrant story which saw his father found the business in 1983 in a place which lacked Italian dining options. It sounds like the man is appreciated around the community. Says one Facebook commenter:

“Sal is so generous. If weather is bad he makes sure the kids have a place to go, if school is let out early and parents can’t be home. He welcomes anyone who loses power in a storm and needs a place to go. He makes sure our seniors are never without food. His generosity is amazing. I’m proud to call him a friend.”

I’ve visited the Amish parts of York County before, but never made it down to Delta Pizza. Might be worth a trip!

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    23 Comments

    1. Suzanne Sellner

      Loving/Serving Others

      I loved this article about the Amish helping the pizza restaurant owner and vice versa! That’s a fine example of people showing love and respect to others and lending a helping hand. That’s what Jesus would want us to do and demonstrates Jesus’ love not just to those involved but to all those aware of the situation.

        1. Connie May

          Helping others

          i Loved this story about the Pizzia store, it is what Jesus would have us to do . The Amish are known for their wonderful helping hand , love of God and doing his will . Their are bad in every group of people but we all need to look pass that and do what Jesus would do love as he would and in all things ,thank you for sharing this wonderful story.

      1. Troy Heffernan

        Prayer

        Here is a simple little prayer that all of you might find helpful and inspiring. OUR HELP IS IN THE NAME OF LORD. And the response is: WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.

    2. Helping others

      This is exactly how like is suppose to be. Not hurting others but helping

    3. Keith M Lucy

      Good News!

      Thanks for sharing this story,very encouraging.

    4. Novella Monroe

      Thank You

      A big Thank You! It makes me happy knowing that one person helping others in need. Not to many people would do something like that. The Amish are great people. We live in a commmunity where we have Amish and its great to see them helpinng. And you giving back is wonderful to hear. Great story. Thank you for your kindness.

    5. Bill nichols

      Pizzeria fire in delta, pa.

      We need more people like these, amish and English, God bless all

    6. Dollie deaton

      Amen people. In this day of Mass shooting we should all, and I mean all, should get down on their knees. Good bless all the wonderful people that made this story possibly.

    7. Lycoming County

      To think that we have a president such as Donald Trump who hates immigrants with such a passion that he and his Party – the GOP – are willing to go to any lengths to keep them from becoming citizens of the US. If the attitude they hold was from ignorance, it might be forgivable. However, their view stems from fear, malice and hatred. Trump and his minions have forgotten – if they even knew it in the first place – that if one is not a descendant of Native Americans or Black people who were brought here to be slaves, we are “all” progeny of immigrants.

      Kudos to the Italian immigrant Pizzeria owner from Delta, PA.

      1. Lydia Good

        Yes, we all have immigrant ancestors.

        Kudos to all the LEGAL immigrants. My ancestor immigrated here in 1760. Bless his heart. Have no idea why you feel you need to vent your spleen on this site. If I’m not mistaken, this site is about the Amish, not President Trump. Sure hope you got all that bile our of your system and are having a better day today Mr. Tibbetts!

        1. Alex Knisely

          Such an unhappy example --

          — of how the hatred spewed out continuously by Trump and his supporters has seeped into every corner of our nation, every aspect of our discourse. He and his have tainted everything.

        2. Dacia

          Lydia's ignorance to the subject at hand

          I’m wondering, LYDIA, what our immigration laws were in 1760? YOUR ancestors got on a boat and just came here, squatted on stolen land. So yeah, there’s always THAT.
          Apples to apples, hater.

          1. Abby

            YOU HAD TO BE NATURALIZED IN 1760…THERE ARE RECORDS OF THAT SO YES THEY ALL IMMIGRATED UNDER THE ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM IF THEY WERE NOT ENGLISH PRIOR..SAME AS TODAY…THIS FROM GERMANTOWN PA RECORDS…

            1. Immigrants and legality

              Abby: Are you saying that immigrants didn’t start coming here until 1760? Did the natives ever consider the “English legal system” to be legal in their homeland? This country was stolen from the natives by white Europeans. end of story! There was nothing LEGAL about anyone setting foot on this continent, as far as the natives were concerned. NO matter WHAT THE “ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM” STATES IN THE GERMANTOWN, PA RECORDS! It wasn’t legal when Andrew Jackson sent Lewis and Clark west, to the ocean, because he believed in “Manifest Destiny”. Perhaps you should go back and read what and how the English legal immigration system really was in those days? Better yet, why not speak to a Native American historian? Get his or her take on the English legal system, vis-a-vis legal immigration to THEIR ancestors’ homeland? This pizzeria owner is a kind man.

        3. Amish Girl Shot In Face

          Lydia: In the 1760s, no one immigrated legally to this land! It was already inhabited by its natives, from the east to the west, and in between. This land was stolen from the various tribes, at least 500 different ones, that lived, farmed and nurtured the land, for thousands of years prior to Europeans discovering it. Europeans needed resources, land, wanted to make money, etc. and moved here, or were sent here. They killed the natives and stole everything they could lay their hands on. Immigration was “legal” in those days because none of the people already living here, could stop the Europeans with their weapons, from coming here!

        4. Margot Hellerman

          Comment for Lydia Good

          Well said! Keep this site about the religious and hard working Amish!

      2. If we could keep the political discussions in the appropriate venues, I would appreciate it. I found this story inspiring, on multiple levels.

      3. Immigrants/pizzeria owner

        Amen to that!

    8. Adair

      What a refreshing and hopeful story for these polarized times! Thanks!

      1. Lydia Good

        Ditto!

        100 % agree with you.

    9. Leo Lee

      Positive News

      In these days of so much negativity, we need more positive news like this.
      Thank You!

    10. C.J.

      Pizza

      If I was in the area, I would sure buy pizza there, and tell him thank you for the kindness he spreads!