This past inaugural month has been filled with examples of getting involved. Whether you choose political activism or community service, the important outcome is serving others for the greater good. Here at FullTilt Marketing, we’ve always been focused on giving back. It’s a fundamental principle of our company and several times during the year we evaluate our profits and make donations to causes we care about most. In fact, our yearly Christmas party is filled with ‘reindeer games’ and instead of prizes for the winners, each employee knows that their participation will earn dollars for the charity of their choice.
Approximately 16 months ago we heard the story of Lucas Hobbs through a national news story. His selfless love for others in the face of cancer…along with his passion for food made an immediate impact on us and we had to find him and his family and figure out how we could get involved with his cause.
Let us tell you a little bit about Lucas and see if you are equally inspired.
At age 12, Lucas Hobbs was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This diagnosis came after months of just not feeling like himself. Lucas immediately entered treatment and was soon battling cancer with his friends and family by his side.
Weeks turned into months and followed the usual suspects of hospital stays, treatment induced sickness, loss of appetite and more. With Mom and Dad busy either at the hospital, shuttling Lucas to Dr’s appointments or seeing that all his brothers and sisters got to their respective school and extracurricular activities there wasn’t much time left over for cooking or family meals.
Despite the chaos and the battle that was underway, Lucas was a trooper and never let his illness get to him. He passed the time in the hospital watching movies and TV and quickly became a fan of The Food Network and one particular movie – Chef. If you haven’t seen it – head over to Netflix or Redbox and find out who’s the star. (Hint – it might be about food trucks).
As Lucas was in recovery Make-A-Wish® came calling and asked Lucas what he wanted his wish to be. It wasn’t to go on an epic vacation or meet a famous sports hero – it was to serve others. What Lucas wished for was a food truck to come to the hospital and feed all the doctors and nurses that had showed him so much kindness, as well as to share some good food with the other patients who had become like family.
Make-A-Wish proved they were up to the task and not only did they get one food truck – they got many food trucks and with their help, multiple events were planned at the hospital, the local police department and a local homeless shelter to feed hundreds of well-deserving individuals.
Today Lucas is cancer free and that is the greatest gift of all, but he and his family know better than most the direct impact that cancer has on families and they’ve opted to continue the mission that started with a wish.
Today, Lucas is the founder of Chef Lucas Food and they have a mission to ‘Do Good With Food.’ That mission focuses on bringing families battling pediatric cancer together for a meal. Whether it’s a food truck event at a local hospital, a meal box subscription delivered to their door or an evening out at a local restaurant, Lucas believes that food is love and food brings people together.
It’s that passion for food and compassion for others that has made us fans and partners of Lucas and his family. We are committed to helping them raise funds to support the mission to do good with food. We also believe that food is a great connector and when we break bread together we feel better.
Chef Lucas Food is just one of thousands of great causes around the country and of course the world. In fact – cause marketing has become so prevalent among businesses and consumers that during the last 10 years cause marketing campaigns have helped raise over $1.92 billion dollars for charitable organizations and a majority of consumers across all demographics say cause marketing by brands is important and they want the brands they support to give back.
If you’re looking for a cause that aligns with your passion for food and/or supports families battling childhood cancer – take a look at Chef Lucas Food. We will help you create a program that works for your brand and inspires your customers and your company like we’ve been inspired by Lucas. We can’t wait to continue to ‘Do Good With Food’ and hope you will join us.
To learn more about Chef Lucas Food visit their website at www.cheflucasfood.com or email us at Melinda@fulltiltmarketing.net
