Ever since Dimitri Tsihlis was a boy he’s spent his life immersed in a community and a culture that gives.
Through his Greek roots, he learned from an early age that giving and service are an essential quality of life and that provide purpose. It’s in his nature to put others before himself even in the little mundane things that happen in everyday life, like holding the door open for someone.
Now in his early 40s, his giving nature has only intensified and his means to give to the community make an impact daily. One of the owners of Dimitri’s Pizza in Contoocook, Tsihlis, along with his family and other members of the community, for the last eight years, has prepared and delivered Thanksgiving meals to those in need.
It’s an all-encompassing process for Tsihlis and his crew. His brother, Yianni, baked over 20 turkeys, their mother and father were involved with making the meals and businesses and local farms all pitched in to donate however they could.
Making 170 meals is a labor, but it’s a labor of love. Some of the meals from this past Thanksgiving went to families in need. Some went to first responders and the emergency department at Concord Hospital.
The fatigue from always being on the go and putting in extra effort to make a difference doesn’t weigh on Tsihlis as much as one might think and that’s tied to his upbringing.
“We just feed people for a living,” he said through a laugh. “We love it. It’s the way our parents raised us; to help people, do as much as we can. We feel like if it wasn’t for the community we wouldn’t have this chance.”
Aside from his upbringing, what inspires Tsihlis to give back is how his family was treated when they moved back to America. While he was born and raised mostly in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Tsihlis lived part of his life in Greece where his father was a commercial fisherman.
The family would vacation in America and as the brothers have joked, they’re in the midst of a 30-year vacation. Moving across oceans isn’t an easy task. Securing a place to sleep at night and find work can be challenging, and some of Tsihlis earliest memories of living in Contoocook are instances where the community gave to him.
“When we moved here, nobody knew us, I didn’t speak any English, but we had so much help from people,” he said. “It was an open community. They helped us, they tutored us.”
All those years later, the help Tsihlis and his family received sticks with him. The sense of community drives him to help others, whether it’s first responders who work on the holidays or a hungry family. While it’s a “blessing” the pizza shop has been financially successful, it’s the relationships that have stemmed from it that are the most valuable.
Tsihlis likes walking into the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts and seeing his regular customers there or going to the store and seeing one of his employees. Even the walk to his car can generate a honk and wave from a passerby and that’s what it’s all about.
“The fact that we get the chance to help people is great,” he said. “You just say ‘thank you God’ for what we have, for what’s coming our way. As nice as it is to be successful and continue to grow, it’s also very important to have relationships with people that you can see and talk to.”