Johnny B’s marks five years helping the homeless

You might know Johnny B’s Pizza, Grill and Spices in Couderay. The Lakeshore Grill and Pizza offers pub fare along with custom spices. 

But the man behind the name – that’s Johnny B Badaliacco, Sr. — and his wife Trish are coming up on their fifth year of serving up something remarkable. It started with an ask on a street corner.

“And I asked Trish, can I have a few dollars? And she said no. Because I know where that money is going to go.”

And then, Johnny B took matters into his own hands. 

“I decided to give them what they needed… that was, I’m going to go to Sam’s Club, and then I’m going to give away every bit of food that we have. Every week, every day that we go out, we need more.” 

Johnny B and Trish have traveled to Florida to feed the homeless for four years now. They’re gearing up for their fifth. They also distribute essentials. That means shoes, blankets, sleeping bags and tents. 

“Being Florida, summertime is much different. Freezing. But it rains, but they’re soaking wet clothes. They don’t just need food, they need, that’s what we try to give them.”

Johnny B and Trish recently joined the ReMarkable Morning Show on Musky 101. Each trip, they end up feeding 90 to 125 people, all food made, packaged, and delivered by hand to encampments.

Trips cost about $25,000, including about $10,000 of their own money. They also get contributions from social media. Johnny B’s a digital creator and frequently posts video of the trips online, bringing donations locally and from out of state. 

You can find their work on Facebook. And contribute too. Just search for Johnny B’s.