Meet the Slice Out Hunger Team

Slice Out Hunger is a small yet mighty team. As a volunteer-powered organization, we’ve been able to do #pizza4good all over the U.S.

Scott Wiener

Founder/Director

Scott’s love for pizza began in suburban New Jersey, where weekly pizza runs created a subliminal dietary requirement. A simple love of pizza turned into obsession as he realized the history, science, and culture of pizza were responsible for the various methods and styles. When he started making expeditions to historic pizzerias, family and friends requested to tag along. These adventures grew into Scott’s Pizza Tours, a tour company based in NYC.

Slice Out Hunger emerged from the understanding that not everyone can afford to treat food as entertainment. It all started in 2009 with a $1 Pizza Party in NYC. Pizzerias donated their food and Scott’s team sold it for $1 per slice, with all proceeds benefitting a local hunger relief organization. This event set up the road map for several future Slice Out Hunger events and projects, leading to incorporation and 501(c)3 status in 2015.

With his understanding of pizza as the perfect community food, Scott wants Slice Out Hunger to provide a network of like-minded pizzerias so they can remain independent while enjoying the support of their peers.

Go-To Pie: Simple cheese or Margherita

Erin ruszaj

Director of Operations

Erin began working with Slice Out Hunger as a volunteer in Spring of 2020 as a volunteer for our Pizza Vs Pandemic campaign and came on as our Operations Director shortly thereafter. 

She hails from Buffalo, NY (home of the cup-and-char pepperoni and City of Good Neighbors) where she learned the role that pizza plays in a community in bringing people together.  She currently lives in the neighborhood of Astoria after relocating to NYC in 2016. Her apartment so full of books that it’s a small wonder that Harrow, her black cat, doesn’t go on strike.  

At Slice Out Hunger she has her hands in all sorts of different (pizza) pies, but she loves the variety and wouldn’t have it any other way. Her vision is for Slice Out Hunger to become the household name for good work in the social sector in the pizza world.

Go-To Pie: Grilled pineapple, jalapeño, & prosciutto drizzled with hot honey or a classic Detroit-style