MILWAUKEE — A person in Andre Richards' position would hardly smile, but most people aren't like Andre Richards.
Just two weeks ago, the food truck business he built with his own hands was destroyed by a car accident on Capitol Drive, putting him out of business.
Related article:
After we shared his story within hours of the broadcast, people were so touched that a GoFundMe was set up for him and thousands of donations started coming in.
But the donations didn't stop there.
Two days after the accident, TMJ4's Mariam Makkar wrote, “We saw the article you did about Andre Richards and what happened to him and his food truck. We are here to help. I received an email saying “I'm here.”
Brian Schumacher of Kewaskum Foods said the email made him immediately empathize with Mr. Macker.
“I saw this story on the news and immediately put myself in Andre's shoes,” Schumacher said.
Macker helped bring the two businessmen together and was even there when they first met over coffee.
Schumacher handed Richards a letter offering to donate 1,000 pounds of seasoned patties, charcoal, and buns, and loan him a mobile roaster so he could keep working until he got a new truck.
“I couldn't believe that everything I had worked so hard for could be taken away from me in an instant.I immediately felt sorry for him and knew I had to help him,'' Schumacher recalled.
For Richards, the gesture meant more than just help.
“I was just grateful that someone took the time out of their day to reach out to me and let me know they believed in my dream,” he told Macker.
Dreams that were shattered weeks ago are now being rebuilt with kindness.
Richards will take a week off to continue physical therapy for injuries sustained in the accident, but with the help of Schumacher's donation, he hopes to be back cooking for the community soon.
Please take a look when you have time. Search for “TMJ4” on your device and he'll be streaming your local news and weather forecasts 24/7.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip
