The Good Charcoal Company, a sustainable charcoal brand based in New York, has committed to a lifestyle of paying it forward. Ever since the company’s inception in 2020, CEO and co-founder Ben Jablonski has made it his mission to embrace the community by hosting free barbecues in food-insecure areas across the U.S. In an interview with Fox News Digital, New York City-based Jablonski said this initiative has always been a priority, even before the company turned a profit.
We started doing this before we had a dollar of revenue," he said. "This was part of our ethos and in our heart to begin with." While the pandemic was difficult for many families who were out of work, Jablonski started parking a barbecue food truck outside churches, food pantries and food banks to serve meals. Now, halfway through 2024, the company is poised to mark 50,000 meals given out to people in need.
Each barbecue feeds about 300 people on average, according to Jablonski, and the company has been partnering with a different food pantry each week. "A little bit of good every week adds up," he said. "We’re proud of that." Jablonski noted that it makes a "big difference" when families can get a hot meal compared to canned foods at many pantries. "And often it's the first hot meal in a couple of weeks," he said.
Namibia is home to 100 million acres of invasive acacia wood, which is an obstacle for native animals, like cheetahs, when hunting for food. Removing the wood and turning it to charcoal allows grass to grow back, which is a "much better source of carbon capture" and also helps to supply land for farmers, Jablonski said.