Zuckerberg pays surprise visit to Falls family


By JUSTIN WIER

jwier@vindy.com

NEWTON FALLS

A Newton Falls family was in shock when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg showed up for dinner at their home Friday evening.

Daniel Moore said he didn’t know who was coming for dinner until about 20 minutes before Zuckerberg arrived.

“I knew we were having a mystery guest, and that was about it,” Moore said. “It was completely incredible.”

Zuckerberg had asked his staff to find Democrats who had voted for President Donald Trump in November’s election, Moore said. Moore, who voted for former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, campaigned heavily for Trump, and Zuckerberg’s staff found him quoted in an article on cleveland.com.

However, the dinner didn’t focus entirely on politics. Moore and his wife talked about their work with Kisiizi Good Shepherd Orphanage, and Moore said Zuckerberg plans to put together a fundraiser to benefit the orphans.

“He cares very much about family and about community,” Moore said. “And he’s taking steps to do a lot of very positive things with his money.”

Zuckerberg shared a picture of himself at their dinner table on his Facebook page with a post that read “Just got into Ohio. Thanks to Dan and Lisa Moore for welcoming me into your home for a wonderful dinner!”

In January, Zuckerberg announced on Facebook that he was challenging himself to visit and meet people in every state in the country this year. He said he wanted to talk to people about how they’re living, working and thinking about the future. He noted that technology and globalization have made life more challenging for many people and said he wants to find a way to change the game so it works for everyone.

“We got to know a very cool guy,” Moore said. “Just down-to-earth and real easy to talk to.”

Zuckerberg toured a Ford plant in Dearborn, Mich., Thursday. He also spent time in the south in February and March, visiting Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina.