Dear Uncommon Nation,
By now I’m sure you have heard of and seen the devastation that Hurricane Ida left behind in New Orleans and its surrounding areas. While Uncommon Threads is based in the Chicago area, New Orleans is a special city to me, my wife Jody, and this company.
In 2006, right after Hurricane Katrina hit, I went to New Orleans to shoot the Uncommon Threads catalog to remind America that New Orleans was still open for business. I quickly realized that it was not just business. I found that New Orleans is welcoming, full of love, and full of life — even after a huge disaster. Ever since, I have loved this city.
Earlier this year, I was back in New Orleans for another photo shoot for our new website. New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) let us shoot in their space and they made this Chicago boy feel right at home.
NOCHI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that educates a diverse community of learners to sustain an ever-evolving hospitality industry. They are at the forefront of hospitality and culinary learning.
New Orleans may be called “The City That Care Forgot,” but New Orleans is the city that I care to remember — for her warmth, her hospitality, and the way she embraced me like I was family.
Now, I’m back in Chicago, and it breaks my heart to think that the city has again been devastated by a natural disaster and all that it brings. But I know that every person in New Orleans is already opening their doors and sharing every single thing they have in their kitchens.
That is why Uncommon Threads is donating $10,000 to support NOCHI and the World Central Kitchen in their mission to feed the hungry who have been devastated by this unthinkable natural disaster.
New Orleans is the city that opened her heart to me and this donation is one small way I’m returning the favor. You can donate to NOCHI here.
I humbly ask you to join me in reaching out a helping hands to New Orleans.
Scott Verson
CEO & Founder of Uncommon Threads
