Minneapolis, MN—Meet Lucas Hobbs, cancer survivor, inspirational leader, food lover, regular kid and founder of a non-profit organization with the mission of uniting the food industry to “do good with food.”
In January 2015, 12-year old Lucas was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. During his lengthy hospital stay, Lucas became enamored by the Food Network and the movie Chef. When Make-A-Wish® asked him what his wish was, he told them he wanted a Food Truck so he could serve the doctors and nurses who took care of him.
What started as a simple wish and desire to say thanks grew into several large events featuring multiple food trucks and the opportunity to feed local policemen, doctors, nurses, the homeless and cancer patients. This simple act of kindness also prompted a mission to connect communities and do good with food to benefit pediatric cancer patients.
Today, Lucas and his family spearhead the Chef Lucas Food foundation that brings businesses, brands, food companies, food trucks and restaurants together to create community food events that raise funds to support pediatric cancer patients and their families.
What the Hobbs family recognized while Lucas was battling cancer is that food provides part of the nourishment necessary to get well, but barriers including the taste of food during chemotherapy, financial constraints, time and even feelings of self-consciousness prohibit not just cancer patients, but families of cancer patients from enjoying dining out together and staying connected as a family during this difficult time.
In partnership with Full Tilt Marketing, a marketing consulting firm that specializes in food and agriculture, Chef Lucas Foods is looking for brand partners, restaurants and food trucks that are interested in supporting the organization to bring cancer-affected families together and get them back to the table for a great dining experience. Interested businesses and organizations can participate as sponsors of Chef Lucas Food community events in cities throughout the U.S., or by partnering with Chef Lucas Food to create unique food partnership events.
“We are excited to play a role in helping Lucas and his non-profit organization fulfill this very important mission,” stated Melinda Goodman, managing partner at Full Tilt Marketing. “In addition to coordinating with brands and food organizations, we also plan to work with supermarket retailers and community businesses to host Chef Lucas food truck events in their parking lots or feature Lucas in in-store demos and other activities.”
Lucas was recently featured on the Rachel Ray Show where he was awarded a Sallie Mae Upromise Goal Saver account for his future education endeavors. In addition, Lucas was recently named Boy of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For more information, visit www.cheflucasfood.com or email melinda@fulltiltmarketing.net for sponsorship information.
Full Tilt Marketing is a consulting firm with offices in the Southeast and Midwest. The firm specializes in produce and food marketing. Working with commodity boards and grower/shippers, Full Tilt assists clients with new product development, brand management, retail promotions, online marketing, social media and marketing communications.
Source: Full Tilt Marketing
