Chris Shepherd’s Southern Smoke Foundation has served several roles since its inception in 2015. It began as a charity to help fight multiple sclerosis, pivoted to help victims of Hurricane Harvey, and now serves hospitality workers who’ve fallen on hard times. The non-profit hired a second full-time employee right before the pandemic, but COVID-19 forced the organization to grow at a rapid rate.
Southern Smoke awards $4.5M to hospitality works since start of pandemic