About Us
Our Story
It all began with a simple, powerful question posed to Stacey Rousseau, Huddy’s bagel shop owner: “What if we provided free meals to our everyday backyard heroes—nurses, corrections officers, firefighters, EMS, and police?” Stacey loved the concept, and from that spark of inspiration, Backing the Brave was born.
In the weeks that followed, we turned that idea into a clear mission: to build a community-wide effort honoring and supporting everyone who serves us every day. Our first program, Hero Meals, partners with Huddy’s to purchase nourishing breakfasts and lunches for local first responders and medical professionals—fully funded by donations from neighbors like you.
But we didn’t want to stop at meals. With the generosity of community donors, proceeds from our t-shirt sales and support from corporate sponsors, we’re creating a Mini-Grant Fund. Every quarter we award grants of $250 to heroes facing unexpected hardships. Nominees can be submitted by colleagues, friends or family.
Backing the Brave thrives on three pillars of support:
Community Donations
$10 feeds one hero one meal.
Merch Sales
Wear your pride, and fuel our grant fund.
Corporate Sponsorships
From “Ally” to “Guardian” levels, businesses gain in-store and online recognition while making a real difference.
Every donation, every shirt, every sponsored dollar translates into tangible care for those who care for us. Join us in standing behind our heroes – with a meal today and a grant tomorrow. Because when our backyard heroes rise, our whole community stands stronger.