Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation: Serving More Than Subs [FEATURE]

Supporting Our Heroes Who Support You

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Firehouse Subs HeroFuel

6 min readNov 3, 2015

“Chris and I grew up in the TV business under our Mom and Dad, and they really went far beyond what you would typically see today in providing heartfelt service to their customers,” Robin Sorensen, co-founder of Firehouse Subs said, hands animated as he recalled when his and his brother’s desire to serve all began.

“It was that kind of environment we grew up in. At the same time, our Dad was a full-time fireman. It took a while for us to really take all these little pieces of our childhood together,” he continued.

It’s no surprise that the two brothers became firefighters themselves.

Firefighters rush into burning homes billowing with smoke, they brave through blazes licking along crumbling foundations, they put their lives at risk to save the lives of others.

But how can we protect our heroes who live to protect us? Firefighters, police officers, EMTs and all first responders alike?

Join us in supporting Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, a mission dedicated to improving the life-saving capabilities and the lives of local heroes and their communities.

The Public Safety Foundation began in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Firehouse Subs Co-Founders Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen traveled to Mississippi, feeding emergency teams and survivors. Boats were flipped over across the roads, cars were scattered around like upturned toys and debris flooded the streets in the aftermath of the storm.

“Just being there and seeing the devastation…and just feeding people that were in such need, no one had even been to these people yet and we were there first on the scene. I’ll just never forget it,” Chris said, eyes seemingly staring somewhere off as he described the scene. “We were standing out on the ocean there. As far as I could see in either direction, it looked like pickup sticks. Every single house was completely leveled.”

Their team handed out food to scores of people, who were hanging onto hope after losing everything. As they traveled back to Jacksonville, Fla., Chris and Robin were weighed down with memories of tearful faces, but they were also determined to carry that burden, motivated to lift their spirits in the face of disaster.

On that very ride home, bells rang off in their heads. They wouldn’t wait and provide aid only when natural disasters struck. They would help those in need by helping the first-responders who would be there to save them.

Whether by donating rescue equipment such as all-terrain vehicles or thermal imaging cameras, providing disaster relief, or simply supporting the continued education of first responders, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has awarded more than $15 million to more than 1,000 first responders and public safety organizations since its inception in 2005 — and the number is still growing.

“Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is a phenomenal organization,” Deputy Fire Commissioner for Operations of Chicago Fire Department, John McNicholas, said. “They’ve turned pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters into millions of dollars in donations that are sorely needed by many different public safety entities, police and fire departments.”

Every donation is a heroic act.

How can you help? Toss in that spare change at the canisters inside a Firehouse Subs restaurant, round up your bill to the nearest dollar, purchase a $2 5-gallon pickle bucket at your nearest Firehouse Subs (they’re great for painting, gardening, washing the car and anything else you can think of).

“For Chris and I standing here, now 21 years into it, you know, it’s overwhelming. We love our food and we’re so proud of Firehouse Subs,” Robin said. “The foundation has been an incredible journey for us. Best of all, it feels great to do it. And we can, and we do.”

Visit this site and learn how you can be a hero, too.

SUBSCRIBE TO HEROFUEL!

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Written by Firehouse Subs