PALM COAST, Fla. (WSVN) — An 87-year-old woman received a special pizza delivery to her Central Florida home, days after Hurricane Matthew blew near her neighborhood.
The phone began ringing off the hook at the only Papa John’s in Flagler County after the restless people of Palm Coast realized the worst of the powerful storm was over.
Delivery driver Lance Tyler said tips on his deliveries have been good. “They sure do order pizza after a hurricane,” he said.
But as Tyler grabbed a pizza destined for delivery over the weekend, he had no idea the payoff he was about to receive. “It was quite a surprise for me,” he said.
The surprise started when Omaha, Nebraska, resident Eric Olsen called in an order on Sunday. When Tyler got to the home for the order, he pulled out the box and took a look at the receipt.
As it turned out, there were some special instructions — a phone number to call. Tyler said he figured at the time it was just because the owner of the house had some big dogs they needed to put away.
The woman who answered the door certainly wasn’t expecting it. As it turns out, the caller had sent out a meaningful meal from across the country to his grandmother, Claire Olsen.
At 87, Claire has weathered her share of hurricanes, but she’s never had a pizza delivery driver put his phone to her ear, so she could speak to her grandson.
As it turns, Eric hadn’t just scheduled the delivery so she was well fed. He did it to make sure she was alive after the storm.
“[He said], ‘Grandma, I haven’t talked to you in two days. I got worried about you. You must be hungry by now,'” said Claire.
That was when the pepperoni pizza came into play, and it was much appreciated. “It was fantastic,” she said.
The driver said it topped every tip he’s ever gotten. “Her expression was just priceless,” said Tyler. “The way that she was like, ‘Whoa!'”
But even with every topping on the menu, nothing in the box could ever have been as good as the grandson who cared enough to call for pizza.
Claire said her phone was disconnected, which is why nobody could reach her. Once she got it reconnected, she called everybody she knew and told them she was doing just fine.
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