Dave Grohl Barbecue’s for 24 Hours to Feed Homeless

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl spent over 24 hours volunteering at an LA shelter preparing barbecue for hundreds of homeless people. Grace Ancheta, director of development at Hope the Mission said brisket, pork butt, ribs and more were delivered to Hope the Mission’s Trebek Center in Northridge, California on Feb. 22.

Grohl arrived around 3pm and worked away cutting up and preparing the meat for the smoker to be served for dinner at 6pm on Feb 23. Once the meat was ready to be put in the smoker at midnight, Grohl and his fellow barbecuers took turns smoking the meat overnight — even as a major winter storm moved through Southern California, dumping hail and rain on the shelter that night.

Once the meat was ready at 3pm, Grohl helped prepare and served hundreds. Ancheta said Grohl was very gracious, taking pictures with people who recognized him. “He wanted no glory for it, he was like, ‘I just want to do this for you guys and give back in that way” Ancheta said. Grohl told staffers at Hope the Mission he finds getting into the barbecue pit therapeutic after he comes offstage.

“Whenever he comes off of work or anything else, that’s what he wants to do,” Ancheta says. “He wants to cook for people. And by the way — it was amazing. It’s the best barbecue we’ve had.” Grohl’s visit came as Hope the Mission’s CEO Ken Craft and president and CFO Rowan Vansleve are running 350 miles across the desert from the Las Vegas Strip back to Los Angeles to raise money for the mission’s latest campaign. Vansleve posted a video Grohl sent to support the “All in for Housing” campaign. “Keep it up, we’ve been out here all night cooking, you got to get back here soon, because we’re all in” Grohl said in the video.