When Tammy Brandt knocks on a door, it’s never just about handing over a pizza.

Brandt, a graduate of Ambridge High School and a New Sewickley resident for more than 35-plus years, has spent 31 years delivering food across Beaver, Butler and Allegheny counties. To her, the job means much more than just miles driven and the challenges faced.

“There's a rapport that you have going to the door, and a lot of people don't think about the interaction and the conversations you have at people's doors,” she said. “I pray with people, I hug people, I cry with people, and it makes a dinner experience so much better.”

It’s all of the faces she meets, the kids who greet her at the door and the families who take the time to make her a part of their day.

“Being able to see these kids that are super excited to get the food and say hello to their dogs, people love that,” she said. “And it makes my job so much better because of it.”

After decades of routes through a multitude of different communities, Brandt said the Mars and Adams Township area stands out.

“As a driver of 31 years … where I'm at right now is the best customers I've had anywhere,” she said. “I've been all over. I've been in Beaver County, Butler County, Cranberry, Wexford, and the people in Mars have just been amazing.”

But behind all of what her job entails, it’s her faith that keeps her steady through the long hours and days. Driving alone for much of the day has become an ideal time to pray.

“First, I can say that I get a lot of time in the car, so I've got a lot of time to talk to God. He's got a lot of time to show me his presence in my life,” she said.

“The joy that I bring to people is why I keep doing it. Very rarely do I walk up to a door where someone is not happy to see me.”

Still, the realities of the work are a heavy burden to bear at times. Delivery drivers are tasked with putting tens of thousands of miles on their vehicles each year, and Brandt feels the sting in her bank account.

“I might have made $32,000 last year, but I put $7,000 in gas,” she said. “But God takes care of me anyway. Financially, it might sound like we don't make a lot, but God really provides in my life.”

Car maintenance is another cost that adds up quickly.

“I have to get my oil changed every six weeks … my tires, they're going to last you probably two years, whereas for me, I have to get them changed almost every year,” she said.

The job, of course, can take a toll physically as well.

“I have to take care of my body for the in and out, getting in and out of the car, being on your feet,” she said. “So I see a trainer once a week. I have to see a chiropractor a couple times a month, just so I'm still able to do the job and not hurt myself.”

On a typical day, she estimates logging nearly as many steps as some avid runners.

“I walk probably between 9,000 and 12,000 steps a day,” Brandt said.

There are other risks involved, too.

“If you look it up, the delivery driver is in the top 10 of the most dangerous jobs in the world,” Brandt said. “That's the other thing people don't think about is how dangerous it can be to be a delivery driver.”

In her early years, she saw that danger firsthand through some of her co-workers.

“In my first five years of delivering pizzas, I didn't experience it myself, but my co-workers did,” she said. “I had one of my guys maced in the face and then I had another kid that was also knocked down from behind because they wanted the pizza.”

The steady rise of food delivery apps has changed the industry, both in terms of personal relationships and tipping culture. Brandt has concerns that the convenience of ordering through a screen has cut into the simple connections that once defined the job.

“I feel like it's taking away that close and personal,” she said. “I do understand there are some people who want me to leave it at the door … but in a sense, I feel like it is definitely taking away from the personal contact, the personal connection that you would have.”

Even with those challenges, Brandt insists she’s exactly where she’s meant to be.

“At the end of the day, I have a beautiful house paid off because God was faithful. I was faithful in my tithing. I'm not a big spender. And where I am today, I'm pretty happy about where God has led me.”

Despite the hours, costs and risks, she says the rewards of being in her element and making people happy outweigh all of the negative aspects.

“God’s just like, this is where I want you to be,” she said.