Feed the Front Line (FTFL)

Beginning with $60 and an idea to feed health care workers, when COVID hit our city we created the largest Feed the Front Line operation in America. In six weeks, we raised over $1,000,000.

During that time, we arranged for 90,000 meals and 10,000 cookie and coffee orders for every single ER and ICU in New Orleans… twice a day. We created $100,000 worth of jobs for musicians, supported 49 restaurants and coffee shops, and uplifted thousands of frontline heroes.

Feed the Second Line (FTSL)

Feed the Second Line started as a response to vulnerable culture-bearers during the pandemic by buying their groceries and having them delivered to their porches. From 2020 – 2021, FTSL was able to purchase over $250,000 in groceries for 132 elders and their families while creating jobs for younger musicians in the shopping and delivering of the groceries.

“How One Mardi Gras Krewe Is Supporting the People Who Keep New Orleans Culture Alive”, by Chelsea Brasted in Food & Wine, February 10, 2021.

FAST FORWARD: Feed the Second Line is now incorporated as its own independent not-for-profit, a sister organization to the Krewe of Red Beans. Their focus is in three areas for our city’s culture: A “healthy culture” – Job Opportunities for Culture Bearers – and a stronger Safety Net for New Orleans culture. Learn more at https://www.feedthesecondline.org/.

Hire a Mardi Gras Artist

An initiative to put Mardi Gras artists who, due to the pandemic, were un- or under-employed back to work creating “house floats” for Carnival 2021. Launched on Dec 4th, 2020, this 6-week initiative raised $330,000 and created work for 48 people, including 32 Mardi Gras artists and created 23 “house floats.”

“No Floats, No Problem: How New Orleans Is Celebrating A Pandemic Mardi Gras”, in Weekend Edition Saturday by NPR, January 30, 2021.

“The Wildly Creative Way New Orleans is Celebrating Mardi Gras”, by C. Morgan Babst in Garden & Gun, February, 2021.

Bean Coin

To keep local bars in business during the COVID shut-down, the Krewe of Red Beans launched “Bean Coin”. The Bean Coin was set up as a prepaid bar tab redeemable at local businesses all over the city once businesses were allowed to re-open safely.  

KRB admits that this particular initiative was not in practice a “homerun”. While we did provide an important lifeline to bars, Bean Coin did prove to be problematic. The manufacturing of the glass coins fell through along with some other issues.

Disaster Response

In Aug 2021, Hurricane Ida hit South Louisiana, and Feed the Second Line shifted immediately to hurricane preparations and relief. They helped move culture bearers living in flood-vulnerable locations ahead of the storm, then spent the next two weeks delivering aid and repairing roofs. Power went out to the entire City of New Orleans, up to 10 days for many neighborhoods. During this time they funded the roof repairs of 154 homes of culture, and also delivered coolers, ice, food, batteries and other supplies to culture bearers who had not evacuated. 

Fest Fest

When 2021 Jazz Fest was cancelled, we created Fest Fest to hire musicians to perform a series of backyard concerts. Fest Fest raised nearly $100,000 for New Orleans musicians when their gigs were cancelled.

Beanlandia

In Nov 2021 we secured 3300 Royal as the future home of the Krewe of Red Beans, “Beanlandia”.