Waldport family “Paying it forward with pizza” brings free food each Wednesday to Yachats Lions Hall

 

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews

YACHATS – The town’s newest pizzeria is open just one day a week and charges nothing — or whatever donation you can afford.

It’s how a Waldport woman with the help of family and friends is “paying it forward” to feed people.

Each Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m., anyone can show up at the Yachats Lions Hall on West Fourth Street to enjoy an eight-inch, thin crust pizza made of hand-tossed dough. It’s the latest evidence of Laura Abel’s drive to do something for her community.

Abel, 74, is a retired California high school teacher who started making and giving away pizzas in 2023. She began in a parking lot along U.S. Highway 101 on the south edge of Waldport, moved to the Waldport Wednesday Market, then the former Seal Rock Bakery, and now guides a weekly operation at the Lions Hall.

“Dough Mama e Famiglia (and Family): Paying It Forward with Pizza” is the name of the effort’s Facebook page, where patrons can place orders for pies with various toppings: pepperoni, Canadian bacon, pineapple, mushrooms with garlic and more, all in Neapolitan style with white or red sauce.

Orders can also be called in or texted to 580-512-9803 to have a pizza cooked on site in the Lions Hall’s commercial kitchen or get one ready to “take to bake.” Walk-ins are welcome without prior orders.

“There will never be a charge for our pizzas,” Abel promised in an online post. “Donations ‘pay it forward’ to the next week to sustain our community service.”

Some people put nothing in the donation box; others donate $1 to $20 or more.

The “Famiglia” in the pizza program is Abel’s daughter, Lindsy Eppinghaus, and her husband, Justin, a retired Army veteran. After more than a year’s break because of Abel’s health issues, the family re-launched the program Feb. 12. The second week they were aided by Mirabella Capobilla, Lindsy’s daughter, and friend, Jessa Joehnk.

Sadly absent last week was Abel herself, who had been hospitalized the night before. She has had a continuing health issue since suffering a massive heart attack in 2021.

“There’s nothing like being brought back to life to make one question … why am I here?” she posted. “Pizza seemed a natural to answer my questions.”

“This is about love and kindness”

“This is about love and kindness, taking care of one another. That’s what’s most important to my Mom,” said Lindsy Eppinghaus, who works at the Beachside Buzz coffee kiosk in Waldport.

On their first Yachats week, Dough Mama distributed 50 pizzas and received $230 in donations. One week later, the pizzas totaled 105 and donations reached $430. Justin Eppinhaus predicted expenses for the next week would be $375.

“Giving away five pies in front of a pot shop,” said Justin Eppinghaus. “That’s how Laura started in 2023, asking strangers ‘Want a pizza?’”

Lindsy Eppinghaus said after they started inquiring about restarting the program, the Yachats Chamber of Commerce put them in touch with Lions Club president David Okelley.

“Once David found out that Dough Mama really is donation-based, he said ‘You belong here’. It feels like home.”

To secure their new home, the Eppinghauses worked with June O’Connor, who’s in charge of helping outside groups use the Lions Hall.

“As a Waldport resident, I already knew a little about their work when they approached us last October,” O’Connor said. “There are a lot of hungry people in our area, and not just those who are homeless. This meets a community need without people having to have their hand out, standing on a street corner.”

Getting Dough Mama into the Lions Hall wasn’t just a move-in-and-cook process.

“We had to get permits from the county to use the Lions’ kitchen, a city permit, a state permit and liability insurance, which was hardest of all,” Justin Eppinghaus said.

After going through six different potential insurers, Dough Mama finally snagged a policy that costs $40 month.

Now, using the big convection oven in the Lions’ commercial kitchen, the group can turn out 20 pizzas in six minutes.

Justin shops on Tuesdays for Wednesday’s pizzas, sourcing almost all ingredients in Newport and Waldport. The flour for the dough, however, is special-order direct from Italy.

While the pizzas are giveaways, it’s donations that keep Dough Mama in dough, literally.

“You don’t have to give a dime,” reiterated Lindsy. “Most folks who can make a donation. But there are so many people who come who have nothing, and they still give a dollar. It’s important to them to give.”

An Italian recipe

Giving through pizza began for Abel some 56 years ago. After graduating from high school in El Cerrito, Calif., she studied cooking in Perugia, Italy, where she got her first recipe for pizza dough. She returned to the states, became a high school English and theater teacher and married Dennis Abel.

The couple moved from California to Waldport in 2004. Lindsy was working at a Newport pizzeria at the time, so Abel made dough for that restaurant using her Italian recipe.

Now her recipe is playing out weekly in the Yachats Lions Hall, where strangers and new friends are discovering the lure of Dough Mama.

The reaction has been strong.

“People love the pizza; they want more,” said Justin Eppinghaus.

Some people offer to help, to which Lindsy Eppinghaus responds, “Get a food handler’s card and you can volunteer.”

• Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to YachatsNews. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com