Each Sunday our First Stepclients are treated to dinner made by chef Michael McCoy, Chef to the Shelters. He hopes that by paying it forward with his delightful and delicious meals, he will inspire others to enjoy the incredible feeling of helping others.
Chef to the Shelters was born after Michael became homeless on Father’s Day in 2018. After a journey of finding sobriety through rigorous and thorough honesty, he found himself homeless for 10 months. Despite his sobriety and a previously successful career, he remained without housing, only being able to eat saltine crackers.
One day, a new idea came to him. He would cook a meal for residents of our partner, the Dallas 24 Hour club around Thanksgiving 2019. After cooking this meal, he was invited to cook at their Master’s event, a prestigious competition amongst some of the top chefs in Dallas to raise money for their sober living organization. This acted as a catalyst for McCoy, who soon began cooking for sober living homes and shelters at no cost, and now cooks for 29 organizations including Maggie’s every Sunday.
Our clients greatly appreciate Chef to the Shelters contribution each Sunday. The good words of our community have allowed more people in Dallas to learn about Chef to the Shelters, who now has a goal of cooking 130,000 meals in DFW once they grow their network of master chefs.
In addition to his continued weekly meal support for our Social Detox clients, Michael McCoy has unflinchingly accepted new challenges on behalf of The Magdalen House. Recently, at our 34th Anniversary event, he accepted the call to make 300 meals for our event attendees, more than his team had ever cooked before. Without hesitation, they provided 400 sandwiches for the women in our community to enjoy while they celebrated the accomplishment of recovery and community!
Want to learn more about Chef to the Shelters? Check out the links below!
Links
Website: cheftotheshelters.org
Facebook: Chef to the Shelters
