With more than 10 wildfires currently burning in the state of California, Matthew McConaughey teamed up with a group of volunteers from Wild Turkey to cook, prepare and deliver meals to first responders battling in the Los Angeles area.
The team visited more than 20 fire houses Friday to drop off 800 BBQ turkey dinners to firefighters—and also brought 800 additional meals to a local homeless shelter.
McConaughey (who considers LA his second home) listened to stories from the brave men and women who were just returning from the front lines, and thanked them for their bravery, dedication and hard work.
To start the day, the Academy Award winning actor from Texas rallied volunteers and jumped behind the grill to help cook and carve the turkey dinners that were then delivered to the heroes who are battling the wildfires that are raging across Southern California.
McConaughey took to Facebook Live to encourage folks nationwide to volunteer and donate to help support the disaster relief operations of Operation BBQ Relief (OBR), including their current deployment in Northern California, which is providing hot meals to first responders and those affected by the wildfires.
“Little did we know when planning this annual event that California, my second home, would once again be hit with devastating fires,” said McConaughey, a husband and father of three. “Being able to provide meals to the men and women who put themselves on the line is an honor for me—and hopefully inspire others to get involved and help in their own communities.”
McConaughey has been the Creative Director for Wild Turkey since 2016, when the actor visited the iconic Kentucky distillery where he was introduced to the Kentucky bourbon master distillers, a father and son team.’
The bourbon brand had already planned to partner with OBR throughout November and December to give thanks to first responders nationwide, as part of the bourbon brand’s “With Thanks” annual charitable giving campaign. Last year, McConaughey and Wild Turkey visited and thanked Hurricane Harvey first responders in Houston.
OBR was established in 2011, following a devastating tornado in Joplin, Mo. Since then, the organization has deployed to disasters including, in 2018, Hurricane Michael in Florida, Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, and the Carr fire. OBR has served more than 3 million meals, with the help of more than 14,000 volunteers.
In 2017, its president and CEO Stan Hays was recognized by CNN as one of their “CNN Heroes” for his work with OBR. The charity depends on donations, so find out how you can help at Operationbbqrelief.org.
SAY THANKS to Firefighters By Sharing This Opportunity to Help Pay For Meals…