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(CNN)Ben Berman was planning to make pizzas for a dinner party with friends when the coronavirus pandemic hit.
It was March last year, and it was clear that gathering in large groups wasn't safe. So the Wharton graduate student came up with a way to get rid of all of the pizza dough he had made for the party -- and bring a smile to everyone's face at the same time.
"I (told) my friends that if they come over, I will lower them pizza onto the street," Berman, 28, told CNN.
He bought 40 feet of string and developed a pulley system to lower slices to friends from his second-story apartment window, according to his website. "It was just something to brighten our day during that time with so much uncertainty staring us in the face," he said.
A fun idea with friends soon turned into a way to make a big impact on the community.
About midway through the summer, Berman began to ask friends whether they would donate to a good cause in the area when they came to get pizza. And that's where the fundraising for Philadelphia hunger and homelessness non-profits, such as Philabundance, Project Home and Share Food Philly, began.
Berman makes the pizzas in his apartment.