Who is Pops-G!
For those who don't know Lorris Gibson Jr., he is truly a remarkable man. Lorris' journey to Pops G. started in February of 2012 when he walked through the doors of Haven for Hope. After years of battling addiction and alcoholism, Lorris was looking for help to get sober. Although it took two times of going through the In-House Recovery Program at Haven for Hope, he has now been sober for more than 7 years.
When Lorris went back to Haven for Hope the second time he knew he had to slow the process down and take a step back. That is when, even as a trained Chef, he started volunteering in the St. Vinny's Bistro. As time went on, Lorris moved up to a stipend cook, then cook, then lead cook and now serves as Executive Chef.
St. Vinny’s Bistro serves more than 1,100 meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to those experiencing homelessness. Throughout his time at St. Vinny’s Lorris has contributed to the homeless population by feeding, mentoring and serving as a convener to help the homeless take advantage of the many services available to them. As Executive Chef, Lorris’ hiring practice reflects his commitment to paying it forward; 70% of St. Vinny’s staff come from homelessness. And, with the opportunity and training they receive in St Vinny’s kitchen, many are able to acquire fulltime positions and find homes.
Lorris always dreamed of turning his love of cooking into a line of food products. With the demands of feeding a large homeless population and operating a kitchen daily on donations alone, he had an epiphany that he could create his business and give a percentage of the proceeds back to the St. Vinny’s kitchen. That is when Pops G was born. Pops G BBQ Rubs and Sauces are special not just because they taste great but because they were created with passion and love and the hope that they would give back to the community that helped Lorris turn his life around.
Each time you purchase a Pops G product, you are helping to feed and mentor those in need. And as Pops G would say, “I ain’t gonna lie, I like it!”