In Nashville, Tennessee hundreds of homeless people ate a fine meal onﾠMay 9, 2007ﾠ— all in the name of a man who the state executed just a short while before.

Philip Workman, aged 53, asked that his final meal be a vegetarian pizza donated to any homeless person near Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.

He was executed there onﾠMay 9, 2007.

But prison officials refused to accede to his request, claiming that they are not allowed to, as a Government approved institution, donate to charities or charitable causes.

That seemingly upset quite a few people willingﾠand able to pay for and hand-deliver the meals themselves.

Homeless shelters throughout the whole of Nashville were inundated with pizza donations all that day.ﾠ

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) group, afterﾠreading a news story about the prison refusing the doomed man’s last request, ordered 15 veggie pizzas to be sent to the Rescue Mission Wednesday morning.ﾠ

PETA President Ingrid Newkirkﾠsaidﾠ“Workman’s act was selfless, and kindness to all living beings is a virtue” .

When Workman robbed a Wendy’s in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1981, he was homeless at the time. Workman was convicted of shooting and killing Memphis Police Lt. Ronald Oliver during the robbery. Since that time evidence has emerged that suggests he did not do so and the bullet that killed was not compatible with his gun.

Most of the pizzas ordered in Workman’s name were delivered anonymously, but ﾠat Oasis Center,ﾠthe first 17ﾠcame from a radio station, inﾠMinneapolis, Minnesota,ﾠﾠwhich devoted most of its morning show talk-time discussingﾠWorkman’s request.

Cliff Tredway, director of public relations for the Rescue Mission charity, said it’s more than simply pizzas that aided that shelter.

“This is the story of a guy whose execution translated into a generous act, it’s about a group of people who society often writes off getting a pizza party today” he stated.