Fat Man’s owner proud to help AU Health during COVID-19 pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, Brad Usry and his son Havird, partners in Fat Man’s Hospitality, a well-known Augusta café and catering business, knew it would affect the traditional way he does business.

Usry and his team put their heads together to figure out how they could help. They thought about those who would be most needed in this crisis, like frontline doctors, nurses and other workers.

They decided they would do whatever they could to help these people, and received a request to donate food from Fat Man’s not long after.

“This donor got 125 family meals for three consecutive weeks,” Usry said. “That got the momentum going .”

Once the word went out, churches and other organizations reached out to Fat Man’s to donate as well.

Fat Man’s then rounded up many donations and pitched in themselves.

“If their budget was $80, we would donate $100,” Usry explained. “If it was $700, we would donate $1,000.”

Fat Man’s formed an assembly line with their employees, as hundreds of lunches would go out every day to Augusta University Health and frontline workers around the area.

“The staff are always grateful for support and have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community,” said Regina Winters with the Center for Patients and Families. “They also get excited when the food is from Fat Man’s. They are huge fans of their chicken and vegetables as well as the sandwiches.”

Usry and Augusta University go way back.

“I graduated from Augusta College. This was near to our hearts. When we think about donating, they’re top of our mind for sure. We’re just glad we had the resources to do it.”

Fat Man’s continues to make food donations as the pandemic continues. They plan to cook for 1,500 members of the AU Health staff on September 9.

“We were glad to be the conduit for some people to donate. A lot of the people could not even leave work; they were stuck in the hospital. To get a lunch really was a blessing for a lot of those folks. It was neat to be a part of it.”

Winters added, “Brad and his team created awareness and rallied the community around the continued need of our caregivers. I now consider them a part of the AU Health team.”

Go here to find out more on how you can donate.