The power of social media is still alive and well. When @ChefDomonique mentioned us in a tweet saying our products would help her friend Allen Keller with his mission to feed the homeless, we thought her plight sounded ideal for our Cambro Cares program, which was created to support organizations that nourish our communities.
Keller worked for FEMA for 8 years after Hurricane Katrina and currently consults with people who are applying for assistance. It’s no surprise that Keller, who makes a living helping people, would find a way to do it in his free time, too. It all started because of one of Keller’s other passions: football.
“In New Orleans for all the Saints’ home games, we would cook and cook and cook, and we always had food left over. Once we had all that food, we would just go out and feed the homeless every week. Then, it turned out that every week we would feed hundreds. Once we saw how big that issue was, it became something that we started to do every week at that point,” said Keller.
What started as a drop-off with a couple friends has grown into something much more. Thanks to help from a team of up to nine people, Keller is able to feed at least 100 people in need every Sunday.
“It’s just something that I can tell is an absolute need. It’s gotten to the point where the homeless expect us out there every week. We’ve basically become a lifeline, so it’s important for us to keep going out there,” said Keller. “Because the issue is so huge, and I feel like every week we only just place a Band-Aid on it. The issue is bigger than me. Until that’s handled on a larger scale, then we’ll just continue.”
Thanks to social media and some news coverage, Keller has received help to support his cause.
“[A local Firehouse Subs] reached out to me on social media and said they would donate 100 sandwiches every other week. That’s extremely helpful,” said Keller.
Cambro was happy to donate GoBoxes and GoBags to help Keller and his team safely transport meals.
“They have been working great because…to get the food out there it takes a little time. Our thing is, we want to serve food as hot as we can. Those GoBoxes have been extremely helpful in that aspect,” said Keller.
After the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida, Keller worked to collect money and supplies for those affected. If you’re interested in donating, click here to find more information.
If you’d like to nominate an organization for our Cambro Cares program, please visit www.cambrocares.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIANA DESIDERIO IS THE DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER AT CAMBRO.
