JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the weather gets warmer and people begin to plan cookouts for the grilling season, one local company is on a mission. 'The Sausage Dudes' hope to change the world one sausage at a time.
There's a lot being packed into the Boys & Girls Club on 10th Street in Jacksonville.
"The Sausage Dudes have one goal," said Patryk Krasinska, "and that's to support youth development, that's what we do."
Krasinska is the executive chef for the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida. Every day he and his team make more than 2,000 meals for area Boys & Girls Clubs. But he's also the co-founder of the company 'The Sausage Dudes', which is far more than meat.
"The sausage has a purpose, and it's not to put money in our pockets," said Krasinska, "let's do something that many people are helping us do, all of the people who buy sausages should be proud because they're helping others."
Money made from the sale of sausages goes right back into mission-driven programs at the Boys & Girls Club as well as in Panama and Poland. Paul Martinez, the other co-founder of The Sausage Dudes was on a mission trip in Panama when First Coast News interviewed Krasinska for this story.
This week Krasinska is taking more than 500 pounds of medicine with him to eastern Europe for a mission trip. The medicine was donated by Map International and will be distributed to kids and families in a mission house supported by The Sausage Dudes.
"I'm not a doctor, I know about spices and knives," said Krasinska, "but maybe one little pill that you take or one little iv, it will change somebody's moment."
They're affecting change here in Jacksonville as well. Krasinska teaches a culinary program at the Boys & Girls Club where students are taught about more than just healthy eating habits.
"We're giving them tools for their life and if they want to pursue a culinary career, we have the tools for it," said Krasinska, "we have programs and certifications and partners who are willing to give scholarships for them."
Those tools come in the form of real world experiences. Once a month the cafeteria at the Boys & Girls Club turns into a restaurant.
"Our students are the ones who are doing the serving, the cooking, the prep, the customer service," said Krasinska, "and we have an amazing patio that we designed so you can host 125 people."
Sausage from The Sausage Dudes is available at area Publix stores. Food for you, opportunity for kids.
"That's what we are creating here, bright futures for students who want to be here and learn," said Krasinska, "buying a sausage, it's just changing lives."
Changing lives, one link at a time.
For more information on the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida, visit their website here: https://www.bgcnf.org/
Further information about the Culinary Program at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida can be found by emailing Patryk Krasinska at patrykk@bgcnf.org
For more information on The Sausage Dudes, visit their website here: https://www.thesausagedudes.com/