DETROIT – Fredi the PizzaMan in Melvindale is a small shop with a big following.
While Fredi may be in the business of making pizzas, he’s also changing lives thanks to his foundation that builds sensory rooms for children with special needs.
The newest room could be used during Monday’s Lions game.
Related: Here’s how Fredi the PizzaMan is helping with autism awareness
Fredi Bello, aka Fredi the PizzaMan, is about as old school as it gets.
“I have no telephones – no delivery, no online – walk in, pull the ticket,” Bello said. “Simple as possible because I want to make great food.”
The proof is in the pudding, but if you need a little more proof, David Portnoy -- the Barstool Sports president famous on social media for his pizza reviews -- named Fredi the PizzaMan the best pizza in Metro Detroit.
“After he left, the lines were down the street,” Bello recalled. “Two blocks work of lines, every day, camping out. It was unbelievable.”
While Bello loves his pizza, he loves his family and community even more. After his son was diagnosed with autism, Bello started the Fredi the PizzaMan Foundation, which raises money for sensory rooms inside schools.
A sensory room is a place where all students -- especially students with special needs -- can go to relax and calm down if they’re experiencing sensory overload.
So far, they’ve built 73 sensory rooms in schools across Metro Detroit. There’s one in the Breslin Center in East Lansing and now there’s one inside Ford Field.
Inside the sensory room at Ford Field, volunteers from the Hope Network Center for Autism help make the game a more inclusive experience.
While pizza may be Belloi’s life, it’s not his work.
“People know me as Fredi the PizzaMan -- and I take a lot of pride in that, I’m known for making pizza and I love it. Never gonna stop but the other part of my life has become bigger,” Bello said. “I have to help other people more. I take a lot of pride in that. I really do.”
As if the sensory rooms at the Breslin Center, Ford Field and 73 schools weren’t enough, he said there are plans for 10 more sensory rooms in other schools.
More information on Fredi the PizzaMan Foundation can be found here.