Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating Students in PreSchool through Grade 12
Educating Students in PreSchool through Grade 12
Admissions
Why Hamden Hall
Pizza and Art Bring Alumni, Parent, and Student Together to Help Feed Families
You might know Class of 2002 alumnus Michael Pollack as the founder of the New Haven Pizza Club. Perhaps you’ve seen his pizza-inspired prints, paintings, and sculptures - like the 13-foot-tall, nine-ton pizza monument that currently sits outside of Modern Apizza in New Haven.
“What I'm doing is turning pizza into art and art into impact,” said Michael. “And, that's now what I want our state and city to be known for. It’s pizza with a purpose.”
Walk through the New Haven Pizza Club, which Michael founded in 2024, and you’ll see a neon pizza slice, Michael Jordan pizza sneakers, an astronaut suit with a pizza box, pizzas designed on antique blue prints of New Haven, and even a pizza throne.
“When I had my first art exhibition, I auctioned off three pieces to raise funds for the Feeding Families Foundation,” recalled Michael. “In that one moment, on my first day of being an artist, I realized that I can create a piece of art and sell it to impact people at a hospital. This is the coolest thing I've ever stumbled upon. My role now for Feeding Families is that of ‘Cultural Strategist.’ I'm the amplifier, the megaphone, and I’m taking my raw talent for being an artist and turning that into real impact.”
The mission of the Feeding Families Foundation is to provide families staying in hospitals with nourishing meals — so they can focus on what matters most: caring for their child.
“Pizza is all about bringing people together,” said Michael. “Partnering with the Feeding Families Foundation allows us to give back in a way that’s meaningful. We’re not just feeding pizza lovers; we’re helping families who need it most.”
What started at Yale New Haven Hospital is starting to catch on across the United States.
“Locally, Modern Apizza donates pizza every Friday to families at Yale New Haven Hospital,” said Michael. “And, this whole communal restaurant food delivery system is coming together to deliver better food from this community and make charity funds, like the Parent Plate Program at Yale New Haven, last longer. We went from having a $100,000 budget in one hospital to raising about a half a million dollars and being in six hospitals in five states in 18 months.”
Michael’s joy in combining pizza and philanthropy seems to be contagious - and it has a connection to Hamden Hall.
“I’ve connected with Hamden Hall parent Joe Massaro, who's been integral in helping me with his two sons on this journey,” said Michael. “Joe, Bruno, Class of 2026, and Valentino, Class of 2029, have been here every step of the way in the last year, doing everything for Feeding Families. They're working events and feeding needy families. Bruno is actually interning with Feeding Families this summer. They're huge pizza guys, and they’ve got big hearts. Joe raised them right.”
Like Michael, Bruno has a love for New Haven apizza and a love of helping others.
“Meeting Michael for the first time felt like witnessing the unveiling of a new invention,” said Bruno. “Using pizza as his creative catalyst, Michael uplifts every community he enters through his bold, abstract, and jaw-dropping artwork.”
Bruno’s experiences with the Feeding Families Foundation taught him that even among unfamiliar faces and unknown voices, a small act of compassion can go a long way.
“I still remember my first Modern Apizza delivery to the Yale New Haven Hospital for Feeding Families,” recalled Bruno. “The reality of where I was and what I was doing did not fully sink in until I stepped into the hospital hallways. The conditions of the patients, the expressions on the faces of their families, and the respectful silence that filled the building hit me like a ton of bricks. In that moment, the pizza boxes became far more than just boxes of food. The joyful reactions from patients and the lighthearted remarks shared throughout the halls showed what the pizzas truly represented: hope, comfort, compassion, and a sense of normalcy.”
Through his passion for art and pizza, Bruno is confident that Michael will spread compassion, unity, and hope throughout his community - one slice at a time.
“Our goal for the Feeding Families Foundation is to continue to grow,” explained Michael. “We want to collaborate with more hospitals and more restaurants. We are talking with the point of sale system Toast about their rounding-up promotions with regional and national restaurant chains to raise more money for Feeding Families. Ideally, we want to get into every single hospital in the U.S. by the end of 2027 or 2028.”
Back
Walk through the New Haven Pizza Club, which Michael founded in 2024, and you’ll see a neon pizza slice, Michael Jordan pizza sneakers, an astronaut suit with a pizza box, pizzas designed on antique blue prints of New Haven, and even a pizza throne.
“When I had my first art exhibition, I auctioned off three pieces to raise funds for the Feeding Families Foundation,” recalled Michael. “In that one moment, on my first day of being an artist, I realized that I can create a piece of art and sell it to impact people at a hospital. This is the coolest thing I've ever stumbled upon. My role now for Feeding Families is that of ‘Cultural Strategist.’ I'm the amplifier, the megaphone, and I’m taking my raw talent for being an artist and turning that into real impact.”
The mission of the Feeding Families Foundation is to provide families staying in hospitals with nourishing meals — so they can focus on what matters most: caring for their child.
“Pizza is all about bringing people together,” said Michael. “Partnering with the Feeding Families Foundation allows us to give back in a way that’s meaningful. We’re not just feeding pizza lovers; we’re helping families who need it most.”
What started at Yale New Haven Hospital is starting to catch on across the United States.
“Locally, Modern Apizza donates pizza every Friday to families at Yale New Haven Hospital,” said Michael. “And, this whole communal restaurant food delivery system is coming together to deliver better food from this community and make charity funds, like the Parent Plate Program at Yale New Haven, last longer. We went from having a $100,000 budget in one hospital to raising about a half a million dollars and being in six hospitals in five states in 18 months.”
Michael’s joy in combining pizza and philanthropy seems to be contagious - and it has a connection to Hamden Hall.
“I’ve connected with Hamden Hall parent Joe Massaro, who's been integral in helping me with his two sons on this journey,” said Michael. “Joe, Bruno, Class of 2026, and Valentino, Class of 2029, have been here every step of the way in the last year, doing everything for Feeding Families. They're working events and feeding needy families. Bruno is actually interning with Feeding Families this summer. They're huge pizza guys, and they’ve got big hearts. Joe raised them right.”
Like Michael, Bruno has a love for New Haven apizza and a love of helping others.
“Meeting Michael for the first time felt like witnessing the unveiling of a new invention,” said Bruno. “Using pizza as his creative catalyst, Michael uplifts every community he enters through his bold, abstract, and jaw-dropping artwork.”
Bruno’s experiences with the Feeding Families Foundation taught him that even among unfamiliar faces and unknown voices, a small act of compassion can go a long way.
“I still remember my first Modern Apizza delivery to the Yale New Haven Hospital for Feeding Families,” recalled Bruno. “The reality of where I was and what I was doing did not fully sink in until I stepped into the hospital hallways. The conditions of the patients, the expressions on the faces of their families, and the respectful silence that filled the building hit me like a ton of bricks. In that moment, the pizza boxes became far more than just boxes of food. The joyful reactions from patients and the lighthearted remarks shared throughout the halls showed what the pizzas truly represented: hope, comfort, compassion, and a sense of normalcy.”
Through his passion for art and pizza, Bruno is confident that Michael will spread compassion, unity, and hope throughout his community - one slice at a time.
“Our goal for the Feeding Families Foundation is to continue to grow,” explained Michael. “We want to collaborate with more hospitals and more restaurants. We are talking with the point of sale system Toast about their rounding-up promotions with regional and national restaurant chains to raise more money for Feeding Families. Ideally, we want to get into every single hospital in the U.S. by the end of 2027 or 2028.”
1108 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden Hall Country Day School, located less than two miles from Yale University, is one of the best private schools in Connecticut to enroll elementary, middle, and high school students. Our nurturing and inclusive community provides a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.
