Pizza chain set to donate hundreds of pizzas and bread loaves over the holidays.

Chefs at the Oxford branch of Franco Manca will prepare food for the Oxford Homelessness Project, Rewley Road Firefighters and Crisis as part of a new initiative proposed by Oxford staff.

From January onwards the charities will also receive a monthly donation.

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Operations manager Steve Smith, who looks after six Franco Manca ranches across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey said the company has pledged to give away over 40,000 pizzas in the new year and donate leftover dough to homeless shelters and charities.

The initiative to turn surplus dough into bread to be donated to local charities started in the Oxford branch, the manager confirmed.

Mr Smith said: "We wanted to give something back to the society.

It all started in the Beast from the East in Oxford with a group of our team who wanted to do something for the homeless and local charities."

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At the beginning of March last year, the dreaded Beast from the East weather front blanketed the UK in snow, closing schools and piling roads with treacherous snow drifts.

The Beast first arrived in Oxfordshire on February 26 with light snow.

The bread will be prepared on the restaurant's premises in the pizza oven after working hours.

Franco Manca has also started sending 15 pizzas every fortnight to Nishkam Swat, a welfare organisation.

The project supports the pizzeria's plans to reduce food waste across each of its UK-based sites, a focus for the new year. 

The business has already adopted a number of waste-reducing initiatives across its UK-based restaurants including making fresh dough on site daily.