It Started with Just $60.  In the earliest days of the pandemic, when uncertainty and fear weighed heavily on New Orleans, one small gesture sparked a movement. Devin DeWulf— founder of Krewe of Red Beans and Feed the Second Line—watched his wife, an ER doctor, come home exhausted from battling COVID on the front lines. Wanting to lift her spirits and support her team, he and the Krewe of Red Beans scraped together just $60 to buy something sweet for the hospital breakroom.  That simple act of kindness turned into something historic. Within six weeks, Devin raised over $1 million to launch Feed the Frontline NOLA, a project that brought urgent relief to two critical groups: overworked healthcare workers and out-of-work culture bearers.  By partnering with 35 musicians and 45 restaurants, they served meals twice daily across New Orleans—fueling not only bodies but the spirit of the city.  What began as a response to crisis became the foundation for Feed the Second Line, a nonprofit born from the belief that in New Orleans, culture is essential infrastructure.  It wasn’t just about food. It was about love, resilience, and honoring the people who make New Orleans New Orleans.

Feed the Second Line is Born As Feed the Frontline grew, so did the recognition that New Orleans’ culture bearers—the ones who second line, mask, sew, dance, and sing—were being left behind. The very people who give this city its soul had no safety net. That’s when Feed the Second Line was born: a mission to support the people who carry New Orleans’ cultural traditions, through food, work, and love.

Launch of Food Love To keep elder culture bearers safe and cared for during COVID, we launched the Food Love Initiative. Every week, we delivered groceries, hot meals, and essentials directly to their doors—ensuring they had what they needed to stay safe and nourished. This program also created paid jobs for younger culture bearers, who made those deliveries with care. It was more than support—it was a cultural exchange rooted in dignity and connection.

Becoming a Nonprofit Feed the Second Line officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. That status marked a new chapter: building systems of support for culture bearers, not just responding to emergencies. Our work deepened, and so did our impact.

Hurricane Ida: A Call to Action When Hurricane Ida hit, New Orleans lost power, but we gained purpose. Feed the Second Line spent $118,905 on roof repairs and blue tarps for culture bearers—because culture can’t be passed down if your roof is caving in. We also launched Get Lit, Stay Lit, turning restaurants into solar-powered resilience hubs with battery backups—places where the community could find food, power, and care during outages.

Our First Stay Lit Install In March 2022, we installed our very first Get Lit, Stay Lit site—marking a major step forward in our long-term vision for neighborhood resilience. These solar-powered restaurants with battery backups serve as emergency hubs, offering food, power, and safety when the grid fails. Today, we have eight Stay Lit sites, with dozens more in the pipeline—each one a beacon of power, culture, and care during crisis.

Tornado Response Later that same month, a devastating tornado tore through New Orleans East and the Lower Ninth Ward. We responded immediately—delivering hot meals, cleaning supplies, and emotional support to families in need. Our focus was clear: show up for our people, especially our culture bearers. Because in every storm, we’re reminded—resilience starts with community .After a tornado tore through New Orleans East and the Lower Ninth Ward, we showed up the very next day with hot meals, cleaning supplies, and emotional support. We didn’t wait. We acted—because our people are our priority. We focused our care especially on culture bearers and their families, ensuring no one was left behind.

In 2022, Tinice “Tee” Boudreaux—a Baby Doll, educator, mother, and deeply respected cultural leader with deep family ties to New Orleans traditions—was appointed as the first full-time Chief Executive Officer of Feed the Second Line. Her leadership marked a defining moment: a transition from allyship to authentic, community-rooted direction. Tee didn’t simply take on a role—she embodied a legacy. Guided by lived experience and generational connection, she has expanded youth programs grounded in tradition, led culturally responsive disaster relief, built strategic community partnerships, and created meaningful economic opportunities for culture bearers. Under her leadership, Feed the Second Line continues to protect, invest in, and uplift the people who make New Orleans culture what it is.

Investing in the Culture Since 2020, Feed the Second Line has created over $1 million in paid job opportunities and provided over $500,000 in direct cultural support. That includes stipends for culture bearers, funeral support, regalia materials, performances, panels, and youth mentorship. We believe in honoring culture bearers by paying them for their work.

Young Keepers of the Culture Through Young Keepers of the Culture, our youth are learning to lead with pride and power. They’re sewing, speaking, exploring resilience, and honoring traditions with the tools to shape the future. We don’t just teach history—we invest in the next generation to live it, lead it, and elevate it.

We’re Still Showing Up Feed the Second Line is still growing. Still building. Still protecting what makes this city move. Under the leadership of Tinice “Tee” Boudreaux, we are carrying forward the original vision of Feed the Second Line with fierce dedication and community-rooted action. Devin lit the spark—and Tee has kept it burning, expanding it into a culture-led, people-powered force for resilience and justice. We’re not just responding to crisis—we’re building systems. Systems where culturebearers are paid, elders are protected, kids are mentored, and our culture is not only preserved but empowered to lead. From solar power to second lines, job creation to youth education, Feed the Second Line is investing in the people who make New Orleans what it is. We’re culture-led. We’re future-focused. We’re building a city where culture is treated like the backbone it truly is—something to sustain, not just showcase. This is about creating real support systems that make it possible for our people to live with dignity, lead with pride, and pass down more than stories—we're passing down power.