For many, witnessing the aftermath of a severe storm instills a sense of helplessness. For Brian Rock, it serves as a call to action.
Brian’s journey with Operation BBQ Relief (OBR) began in the wake of a storm in Chicago. Armed with his wood-fired oven, Brian took to the streets to cook free pizzas for displaced neighbors. His grassroots community care caught the attention of local news media, and soon enough, word reached OBR’s Co-Founder and CEO Stan Hays. Stan connected with Brian and invited him to join the relief efforts in Mayfield, Kentucky in 2021.
That first deployment in Mayfield proved to be a pivotal experience. Brian spent more than two weeks on the ground, serving wherever he was needed – from managing the cooking pit to powering through shifts in the wash pit.
“The camaraderie was something I hadn’t seen since I left the military in 2015,” Brian recalled. “I saw how a giant, well-oiled machine could run, and it really inspired me.”
That inspiration extended far beyond his initial deployment. Seeing the massive impact of OBR’s operations motivated Brian to elevate his own hometown relief efforts, transforming his pizza project into a fully realized nonprofit called Doughnate Pizza. Today, his organization has served over 70,000 meals in four years, including more than 6,000 meals in a single three-week stretch.
Throughout it all, Brian has remained a dedicated pillar of the OBR family, logging more than 160 volunteer hours since that first trip to Kentucky.
When asked what keeps him coming back, Brian points straight to the heart of the mission: the vital need for restoration and connection following a disaster.
“There are so many people who need a hand after a life-changing event, and being able to be one of those people who help makes my heart happy,” he said. “Once I got to volunteer and met the crew, it validated that I was in the right place. People from all walks of life, all ages, working tirelessly to bring a community back – one meal at a time.”
Uniquely, Brian has experienced OBR from both sides of the serving line – as a volunteer on the front lines and as a meal recipient following a storm in his own town of Merrillville, Indiana, this summer. Experiencing OBR’s impact firsthand as a meal recipient gave him a whole new perspective on the organization’s reach.
“It was different,” Brian reflected. “I felt like I needed to be on the other side helping, but I was so hungry that I needed a meal before I could get to work. It was great seeing how my neighbors were being fed by OBR, and being able to get a meal that filled me up and gave me energy to get through to the next day was a godsend.”
To anyone considering stepping up to volunteer, Brian’s message is simple and direct: just do it.
“If you currently have a job, ask your boss if they will match your PTO or give you volunteer time off to go out with OBR,” he advised. “Get your neighbors involved; get your friends involved. The more people we have on hand, the more people we can help.”
Thank you, Brian, for your continued dedication, your military service, and your unwavering commitment to feeding communities in need!
