While former New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister is a Mississippi native, he’s engrained himself in the local community since they selected him in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft. The once all-time rushing leader for the Saints – eclipsed by Mark Ingram this past season – is remembered for his impact on the field. But his legacy lies in his work behind the scenes, much like several players from the team hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Despite retiring over 10 years ago, McAllister continues his local efforts in launching a new fundraising platform with founder and president Jason White, FRYP – Your Best Friend for Fund Raising.
When reading back stories detailing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as witnessed by those Saints players, what stuck out about McAllister was his indelible memory of the people. The Saints’ team cook searching for a lost relative, the volunteers at a local church, Red Cross workers he worked alongside, volunteers and staff at the airport housing evacuees. Oftentimes, the true heroes are those working seamlessly behind the scenes, on the front line of a crisis, and most recently, amid the pandemic. The hospitality industry is perhaps misunderstood or underappreciated; to co-founder McAllister, they are the exact type of people their platform intends to lift up.