‘So special’: Aurora’s Westside gives donations by the slice to ARCH

Residents, families, and staff at the hospice have been getting free pizza from the long-running Italian restaurant every Saturday

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1 / 1 Barb Bailey (PSW), Kerri Mortimore (RPN), and Mike Calderhead (delivery man) pose in front of a pair of donated pizzas from Aurora's to ARCH, which has been a Saturday tradition ever since the hospice opened its doors in 2008.Alex Flood/SooToday

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A weekly act of kindness from one of Sault Ste. Marie’s longest serving Italian restaurants has lit up social media.

Thousands of residents learned this week that the team at Aurora’s Westside has been donating pizzas to ARCH Hospice for their residents, families, and staff ever since the facility opened its doors in 2008.

Delivering a pair of freshly made pizzas at lunchtime every Saturday, Aurora’s act of kindness prompted SooToday to pay a visit to ARCH and witness the generous handoff in person.

“Seeing it happen in real time was so special,” said ARCH spokesperson Jenna Polutanovich. “When I witnessed the pizzas being delivered this past weekend and the excitement from the families who said, ‘It’s Pizza Day!’ I was inspired to do a social media shout out – not only to thank them for their continued support but share with our community how compassionate this local restaurant is.”

Last week’s social media post from the hospice generated more than 2,300 reactions and hundreds of comments from the public.

“My dad couldn’t wait for Saturdays to enjoy some pizza while he was in ARCH,” one woman wrote. “Thanks for all you do for our community!”

“It is so great to hear about the wonderful things happening in our city,” another local commented. “Way to go Aurora’s.”

The reaction from the public was so positive that it even surprised some of the team members at ARCH, who told SooToday they’ve been so thankful for the tasty donations.

“I didn’t expect it to get as much response as it did, but I am so glad that it did,” Polutanovich said. “The comments, likes and shares show us how loved and appreciated this local restaurant is.”

ARCH Hospice provides quality and compassionate care through end-of-life to Algoma District families at no cost. ARCH is only partially government-funded and requires $850,000 annually in community support.

“By donating to ARCH, you are contributing to the comfort of the entire community,” Polutanovich said. “Thank you, Aurora’s. We at ARCH are beyond grateful for their continued support.”