WATSONVILLE—A line was already forming in front of 7-Eleven on Main Street before 11am on Christmas Eve as people eagerly awaited Santa Claus—and pizza.
Sherry Dang and Kirk di Cicco, owners of local franchised 7-Elevens, handed out 500 free pizzas at the store, plus 200 more for employees and customers at other locations.
Dang and di Cicco have been hosting a turkey giveaway for Thanksgiving for the past 13 years. They also usually host a Christmas event, where children meet Santa and pick out a free gift. But the pandemic changed things.
“We pivoted to giving pizza so the family can enjoy some comfort food together,” Dang said.
Santa was on hand to help on Christmas Eve, asking customers if they’d been “naughty or nice” and posing for photos. Dang would often ask a customer if they needed an extra pizza or two to feed their family.
The giveaway was logistically complicated. Due to limited freezer space, they had to store the pizzas at various 7-Elevens in the area. Three separate drivers transported the pizzas to the Main Street store the morning of the event.
The 500 pizzas at Main Street were handed out in just over two hours.
Dang praised her staff—Alvaro Vasquez, Gemma Baez, Faviola Martinez and Kara Guevara for their work. In addition, she thanked Kurt Lambert, John Wagner and Theresa Sigurjonsson from the 7-Eleven management team, and Gary Evan from Coremark.
“It takes a village to get this event happening,” Dang said. “We can not do this without our partners who helped to secure and deliver the products to us… Teamwork makes things happen.”
John Wagner was present at the Main Street giveaway with his young son, Clint. He called Dang and di Cicco “incredible.”
“They are so dedicated to helping their community,” he said.
