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Beyond The Plate – A Podcast by Food For The Poor
Food isn't just delicious... it can also change your life! Tune into Beyond the Plate, a new podcast presented by International Charity: Food For The Poor. Get inspired with conversations that nourish the soul. Hear amazing stories of transformation from faith influencers, leaders in the nonprofit sector, and the individuals receiving aid in the 15 countries of Latin America that Food For The Poor serves.
Beyond The Plate – A Podcast by Food For The Poor
Ep.15 - Mike Gallagher: Championing Compassion, Generosity, and a Legacy of Kindness
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Mike Gallagher, starting with such diverse interests in both literature and theatre with his iconic portrayal of a radio DJ on Broadway's "Memphis" and his provocative books like "Surrounded by Idiots." As we dive into our conversation, Mike reveals the driving force behind his multifaceted career and the profound messages that underpin his work.
Our discussion takes a heartfelt turn as we honor a two-decade-long partnership with Food for the Poor, a collaboration that has transformed lives across the globe. Mike recounts the emotional satisfaction of mobilizing his audience, 'Gallagher's Army', to provide relief in places like Jamaica, Guatemala, Haiti, and West-Central Florida. The unwavering generosity of Mike's listeners has built safe homes, delivered life-saving meals to families, and offered emergency relief and hope in the face of natural disasters and war-torn countries, proving the powerful impact of community compassion.
We wrap up with an emotional tribute to the philanthropic spirit inspired by Mike's late wife, Denise. Her mantra of performing random acts of kindness is echoed in the stories of families uplifted from poverty and the spiritual fulfillment of witnessing the face of Christ through service. With gratitude, Mike and his audience celebrate the Millions of dollars raised, cementing a legacy of blessing others and a call to continue these transformative efforts.
@radiotalkermike
@themikegallaghershow
Beyond The Plate is a podcast by international charity, Food For The Poor
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So I got to ask you, danny, really quick, all right, what do you think of when I ask you or tell you a title? I'm going to use this really interesting title the Happy Conservative Warrior. I'm serious, I'm not kidding you. It conjures thoughts between like like a like a mr rogers. Okay, meets uh, william wallace, the, the character from brave freedom, that's it it's a one line, right, exactly.
Speaker 1:It's kind of like you know it's. It's a cross between reminding us about the helpers who mr rogers so coin, so beautifully coined. You know he I think it was his mom that said this that the helpers get us through tough times. But then there's the never backing down against the freedoms that is at stake.
Speaker 2:Well, you know what You're actually describing somebody very, very near-nose right now, and it's here because this is our next guest. That's how near it is. He is a best-selling author. I've written two books Surrounded by Idiots, which I hope that wasn't loosely based on the time with us today. No, I think you wrote that before you met us, Just in case. Fighting liberal lunacy in America and 50 things liberals love to hate. He's also appeared on stage and on film as an actor, with feature roles in regional theater and Broadway, such as Daddy Warbucks and Annie. It's a hard knock life. Oh yeah, tomorrow. Tomorrow you can try that again, tomorrow we also. He was also featured on Broadway in a musical in Memphis. Mike's done other stage roles that include guys and dolls. A funny thing, I think. In one of those, mike, I think you were casted as a radio DJ.
Speaker 3:In Memphis, memphis. Yeah, was that hard, did you?
Speaker 2:prepare. Did you prepare for that? Yeah, I got the other roles.
Speaker 3:It was method acting, guys. It was method acting. I actually played the white DJ. It's a cool story and first I'll tell you real quickly I don't want to interrupt your wonderful introduction. I mean I'm going to give you a half hour to cut that out if you want to keep going. But of course I go way back with Food for the Poor and Paul and Danny. It's great to visit with you guys.
Speaker 3:The musical Memphis was about 1950s segregated Memphis, tennessee, and a great musical. One of my favorites was a Tony Award winner and for a period of time they cast me as the white DJ. Now it's important that you know the difference between the white DJ and the black DJ, because the show opened with a guy, a very boring kind of a Casper Milk Toast white disc jockey, who said and it was in Memphis. So he started the show by saying we want to welcome you in and we're listening to the hits of Rosemary Clooney and Pat Boone, and then and then and then there'd be a blackout and then a black DJ would come on and he was like we're going to give you the biggest hits from Beale street in Memphis.
Speaker 3:It was a great contrast. So it was a cameo, but it was the opening of the show and I got to play it at the famed Schubert theater on Broadway. And then I went on tour and did it in about 13 or 14 cities around the country and it was one of the highlights of my life to get to actually play Broadway for a pretty brief period of time, but it was a lot of fun. So thank you for remembering my theatrical background.
Speaker 2:Amazing. I love the vocal, mike Gallagher, to be on the plate here today. And, mike, this might be a unique thing for you, when, when you're asking all the questions on your show and now it's asking, I mean it's probably it feels like you're a guest at your own party or a magician who's asked to reveal his secrets. I'm not used to. I'm not used to this.
Speaker 3:I'm kind of uncomfortable. I'm already sweating bullets.
Speaker 2:Are you sweating over there?
Speaker 3:I could probably sweating bullets. Are you sweating over there? I could probably. I hope you guys don't treat me the way sometimes I treat some of my guests, particularly people who disagree with me, not at all, not at all, not at all.
Speaker 2:Your family. Here you got it. Food for the poor has some guiding principles and one of those is urgency. And when we think of this, I remember the calls we got from you in the aftermath of hurricane Ian this is late September of 2022, that devastated communities in the Gulf Coast of Florida, and you were calling Food for the Poor to ask how can I help now? Now this is one month after our annual campaign with you to help serve families in Latin America and the Caribbean, which you raised over $107,000 for life-saving food for children and families, and then, in the aftermath of Ian, through your listeners, you then went and raised over $83,000, which was raising over 10 days, in 10 days to deliver that much needed hurricane relief supplies for those hurricane survivors. Now, how can I help now? That's just a simple but powerful question. If someone asked you, mike, this after a disaster, how would you answer them?
Speaker 3:Well, first of all, food for the Poor is woven into the fabric the DNA of the Mike Gallagher show. Years ago, my late wife told me, instead of just jawboning about issues, why don't you take your big audience and make a difference in people's lives? And Food for the Poor has such a special place in my heart. In fact, as Paul well knows, there's a house now in Jamaica, the Denise Gallagher house that a family in Jamaica lives in that Food for the Poor built in honor of my wife who passed away from cancer in 2008. And she still is very much a part of my heart and I carry her with me everywhere. And I remember her indomitable spirit. And she and I didn't often agree politically I was married to a Democrat, so we had some feisty dinner table conversations, but she ultimately respected what I do for a living and she supported me, even though we didn't always agree, and she really believed in the mission of helping do good, of helping people who are in poverty. And thanks to Food for the Poor and the mission trips I've been on over the years and traveled all over the world. I witnessed, as you guys know, firsthand poverty the likes of which I've never seen before, and so it was always my goal as a spokesman for Food for the Poor to convey that sense of urgency to our audience. You can't wait weeks or months when somebody is starving today. You can't wait three weeks from now when somebody doesn't have clean drinking water. You can't wait a month or six weeks when somebody is living under a tarp on the side of a hill and confronting mudslides and the elements. And so Food for the Poor and the Mike Gallagher Show over the years have sort of presented this urgency to our audience.
Speaker 3:And look, over the years, I am just blown away by the generosity of the audience. It's not me, it's not even you guys, it's not Food for the Poor, it's the blessing that is this audience. I often brag that the Mike Gallagher show audience is the most generous audience in the country. And you know we often have playful competitions with some of our fellow Salem shows.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, and I and look, I always kick their butts, I buy our show always wins. We always come out on top, much to the chagrin of Hugh Hewitt who often has to come in second or third. And it is playful. And of course the beauty of competing is that together combined, we're all doing a lot of good. Well, we're combining all of our audiences all of our audiences who lovingly donate to children in Guatemala, who lovingly support families in Haiti, who lovingly step up and say we're going to save lives today. And so, danny, you're so right about the urgency and that sense of urgency, and I'm very gratified that, over the years, our audience seems to recognize it and they will continue to do so for years to come.
Speaker 1:Gallagher's. Army we can just take a moment to recognize them. Since we're on the topic of the audience.
Speaker 1:We're talking about, mike. You have been working hand in hand with Food for the Poor for almost 20 years. Gallagher's Army has raised millions of dollars. Homes have been built for families who now live under safe shelter, children and families, entire communities fed with healthy, nutritious food. Their health is back on track. Water has been provided. We're talking about safe water from the options, where it was a stream, a field, just terrible water conditions. Where they were first getting their water. Now they get safe and clean water Meals delivered to displaced Ukrainian families. Let's not forget that in 2022. Hurricane relief sent right here at home in three different hurricanes within the past two years, and now you see the hurricanes Helene and Milton striking 13 days apart in the West Central Florida area. I mean, others were busy reporting the news and you were helping and your listeners were helping families to pick up the pieces and rebuild. So it's staggering.
Speaker 3:Well, it is staggering because every single time we put out the call to help they do, they step up. And look, I'll be very candid, I always worry before every campaign we do, I'm always stressing that it's not going to work, that people aren't going to work. Look, we've had a lot of challenges financially. The economy is tough, people with inflation are having a hard time buying groceries, people are having a hard time paying the rent, paying the mortgage. Yet, no matter how challenged we may be as a country, the Mike Gallagher Show audience continually steps up.
Speaker 3:And Paul, you're right, I mean, I'm a Floridian. Now, a few years ago I moved out of New York City. The taxes and the quality of life chased me out and I decided to move to the free and fair state of Florida. I love it here, but boy, the hurricanes have been devastating. People have no idea outside of the zone of Milton or Helene what Floridians have gone through. What people in Western North Carolina went through is unimaginable. It's almost indescribable. And this is the beauty of our show's partnership with Food for the Poor. I mean, it's astounding.
Speaker 3:We've never had a campaign that fell flat. Every single campaign seems to soar, and I'm in a perpetual state of gratitude at the generosity of our audience. It'd be kind of fun. I've never done this. I've always wanted to kind of tally up, total up what we've done over the years. That would be kind of crazy to see just how generous our audience is. I don't know what the number is, but I do know that our audience never, never fails to heed the call.
Speaker 3:And you're right, paul, there was a time I would sound the trumpet. We'd say, all right, gallagher's Army, we got to go. We got an army of people that we need to step up here, because we got a lot of hurting people, we've got a lot of starving children, we've got a lot of uh, homeless families that can use your help, and so we'll sound the bugle and we get the army mobilized and it's it, just it's. It's honestly, guys, it's the. It's the most fulfilling, rewarding aspect of my job. You know, I've been, I've been doing this for 45 years. I've been at this since 1978. And I've been, I've been a big mouth in front of a microphone or a camera, and it was only a Broadway show and a bra or Broadway show, yeah, but.
Speaker 3:But I've never been able to to get this kind of fulfillment and this kind of um satisfying relief in in making a difference in somebody's life, and again, it's all our audience. There's nothing like the American people. They step up when called upon and it's a true blessing, it's a true true blessing.
Speaker 1:In almost 20 years, millions of dollars have been raised. Just in these last two hurricanes in Florida, helene and Milton more hundreds to the tune of almost 700 families literally picking up the pieces because of the efforts of the Gallagher army. But this is the interesting thing. We talk about the fun that he has with regards to these campaigns. I've never told this, I've never told you, mike, I've never told anybody this story. I'm in NRB and I'm standing next to the great sage from South Central, larry Elder, and he comes up to me and my boss at the time, alice Marino. You remember Alice, mike, of course love her. He says so what's Mike's secret sauce? What do you think he does? He's doing out there? What do you think? You know? This is like about a month, a month or so before the campaign, and I said well, you know, he just he rallies his listeners, he gets behind it. You know, larry, I, I just you know, he's just got a real heart for this he was.
Speaker 3:I got something coming for him, uh, and you know what? And he, and he delivered you. Let me tell you what he did. Well, and let me let me also, as paul harvey used to say, give you the rest of the story right, because I remember, I remember that campaign like it was yesterday. Because let me tell you what Larry did. Larry's like Hugh, hugh Hewitt, they don't like to lose. And so Larry was fired up that I kept blowing everybody away with with our campaign success. And Larry, he, he wrote to me too. He said Mike, what's your secret? And in a rare moment of cockiness and I regret it to this day, I should have never done this I stupidly said Larry, I'm just that good.
Speaker 3:Well, that gave him a sense of determination and purpose, and I do begrudgingly need to report that that one campaign, larry blew me out of the water. Larry had Larry actually won that campaign. As I remember that was a number of years ago, paul, but he did, he won and he was the happiest guy in the world. And you know what, for one time I didn't mind giving him the win. I'll take the loss because we still did great, we had a great campaign. But and it was my fault, because I should have never said something as cocky and as arrogant as I'm just that good, I didn't even mean it. I was trying to be a smart aleck and boy, I paid the price in the end.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's amazing. So we see what gives him the extra gear that he goes into with these campaigns.
Speaker 1:And also he's feeding others. So let's keep that up. I love it. You know, it's amazing when we think, mike, back to 2008,. You brought this up about Denise and the home that was built in honor of Denise. It's that mom, patricia Farquharson, that was a mother in Jamaica that had a home built in St Elizabeth in the honor of your late wife, denise, and it's still an enduring place in your heart. It's all of us, I mean it's. It's something that is really stands out for all of us. For what was you know what that meant to you?
Speaker 3:Well, you are, you guys are family, and you know that I married a single mom and so I witnessed what she went through as a single mom. Uh, as we were dating and we fell in love, uh, and it was. It was a little daunting for me because I wound up, you know, marrying into, uh, a family of five. I mean she had four, four little boys, and it was a time when a lot of my friends said don't walk, run away from this, you do not want to take over and marry into a household. And I, in very short order, adopted the boys. We had a great life together.
Speaker 3:I have so many warm memories and so many special still connections and now I've got four grown guys that are doing great all over the country. I've got a, a, a 16 year old granddaughter, lily Denise, who was born a few months after Denise passed away, um, and, and so I know I have a special place in my heart for for single motherhood, and so to know that that house was built for a single mom in in Jamaica, just just, you're right, paul, it'll stay with me for the rest of my life, going back years later and seeing the house, as you guys let me do was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I know Denise is smiling from heaven and really happy that there's a family that is living in a house with a door and windows and lock and protected from the elements, in her honor and in her memory. It just means more to me, guys, than you'll ever know.
Speaker 2:Now, mike, I want to give a shout out to the Gallagher's Army. Yeah, the ones who went beyond the call of duty, like those, have many years, have affected those families that we talk about in latin america, and the caribbean is essentially changing their lives, families whose lives have we also changed in haiti, families like the antoine family of five the lermy family husband and wife a young couple like the real louise.
Speaker 4:I'm listening here. I called eric and eric said you already had it fired up we're getting.
Speaker 3:We're getting. You guys are talking on the air from our our shot here. For some reason I'm getting sorry I was hearing. Our dear friend robert is in, is in the office with with my producer tracy oh, okay, sorry about that, they were, they were, they must have, they had a they had a switch pulled or whatever. So that happens sometimes live broadcasting. You know, go ahead. I didn't want to interrupt you, danny.
Speaker 1:Go ahead.
Speaker 2:Go ahead Again. We want to mention the Gallagher's Army that's affected lives, Latin America and the Caribbean over the years, and some of those families that we've changed in Haiti, like the Antoine family of five, the Lurmy family husband and wife, a young couple like the Perrier-Louis family, and an elderly couple like Mr and Mrs Caroleau, who have spent all their adult life in poverty. What do you say about that, Mike?
Speaker 3:Well, this is what you guys are. This is what Food for the Poor does. You give hope to the hopeless. You feed the hungry. You clothe the naked. Hope to the hopeless. You feed the hungry, you clothe the naked.
Speaker 3:Food for the Poor is an organization that is one of the most powerful presences in the world. I mean, when I first learned about Food for the Poor, we began doing these campaigns and I got to travel over to Honduras and to Jamaica and to Haiti and to see firsthand the work, the fruits of your labor. It's what it's all about, and these are.
Speaker 3:I fear sometimes that you know, we hear about the plight of people in other parts of the world, but you don't really understand it, you don't recognize it. When I would see the depth of despair and just people straggling to try to find a little morsel of food to get them through, two or three days at a time, it was overwhelming, and that's why I came back from those trips every time more determined than ever to make a difference and to assist Food for the Poor and to let our audience contribute to this beautiful blessing that is your organization. There's nothing like food for the poor in the world and again, you guys make it a joy for me to come to work and know that there'll be another campaign, there's going to be another opportunity for people to step up.
Speaker 2:Always thankful for you, mike. Thank you and Mike, this has been a true blessing actually to walk down a memory lane and a deep dive and to your passion and for families and including yours and we, every every time we end up episode. Here we ended on a positive note, but in this case we like to have the last word right before we're going to share this video with you.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, my Denise had a rule do a random act of kindness a day, one random act of kindness, and I can't think of a better way for people who are watching us right now, who are learning about Food for the Poor, make a difference. You know, do something that is unexpected, and it may be unexpected that you reach out to Food for the Poor and connect with them. I love living that. Look, I've been blessed in life. I make a good living. God has been good to me and I don't like many millions of people.
Speaker 3:I'm at a stage right now in my life where I don't have to worry about how to pay the bills, and so, every single day, I try to find somebody in a, in a fast food restaurant or a restaurant that I can pay their meal without them knowing it.
Speaker 3:If I'm in a drive through and, believe me, there's there's not a fast food restaurant in Florida that doesn't know me on a first name basis, I, I, at least once a day, I'll say, hey, I want to pay the, the, the bill for the car behind me. So do one random act of kindness that is unexpected, that is completely unanticipated, and again, to me that's the most positive thing you can do, you'll feel good all day long. You'll know you're making a difference in somebody's life and, frankly, partnering with Food for the Poor is that random act of kindness that can truly make a difference in a deserving person's life. That, to me, is as positive as it gets. So remember my Denise and remember that little message about that mantra. You know, make a difference in somebody's life and do one random act of kindness a day. It's food for the soul, it'll nourish you and it'll make you a better person.
Speaker 1:Now, when you talk about unexpected, we've got an unexpected person that wanted to say a few words to you, mike, before we close the show. Oh wow, okay, take a listen.
Speaker 4:Mike, gallagher a few names here at Foo for the Poor embody the heart and soul of our mission. Like yours, this year we celebrate together with you almost 20 years of service to vulnerable communities, whether in Latin America, the Caribbean, ukraine, the borders of Turkey and Syria, or right here at home in Florida. Your compassion has led to more than $2 million raised, helping those truly in need. Foo for the Poor has received tens of thousands of gifts and donations from your audience who, like you, are looking forward to what the next 15 years will bring together. Truly thank you.
Speaker 3:Mike, wow, that's amazing. How did you know that? I just said a few minutes ago I wondered how we could total it up over the years. Wow, that's amazing. How did you know that? I just said a?
Speaker 1:few minutes ago, I wondered how we could total it up over the years. Wow, here at Beyond the Plate, we go beyond, over and above. Yes, you did. You just set us up for our end of every show. We always end on a positive note Over 2 million yeah. Watch this. At the end of this, I'm going to share with you a little bit of that research Ready? Okay, there we go. So, mike, we always end every episode on a positive note. You've been practicing, you.
Speaker 3:That's good thank you good harmony good harmony, all right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we didn't get on broadway with mike.
Speaker 3:See, I'm done no, there's only room for one star uh semi-san radio dj he said that to larry elder. Now he just said it to us, challenged you, I know. I know I should have learned my lesson.
Speaker 1:We end every episode on a positive note, but in this particular time we're going to end on a positive act, and so we have Tracy in the studio there with you, mike, because we have something that we wanted to present to you, and if they're hearing us now, could we please present Mike with a special honor from Food for the Poor, wow.
Speaker 3:I wonder why she was hovering.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's beautiful. This special honor is called the Christ the Beggar statue. It is a very special meaning to Food for the Poor. You can find the life-size version of that statue in our entryway to Food for the Poor's headquarters. I've seen it.
Speaker 3:I recognize it, Paul, from when I've been to your offices.
Speaker 1:Great. The artist who designed that statue said I'm devoted to creating artwork that glorifies Christ, and the only way that you can see the face of Christ is when you prostrate yourself and you have served Food for the Poor and the families. That Food for the Poor serves in the same way. And so today, this episode, this moment, we honor you, Mike Gallagher.
Speaker 3:This means more to me than you'll ever know and this will enjoy a very prominent place in my home and in my heart, and you guys at Food for the Poor are my heart and I will continue to try to bless as many people as possible doing the Lord's work and with this brilliant, brilliant, beautiful, generous audience, and I will always treasure this. Thank you for this and thank you for uh, for your partnership and your love and your stewardship. I'm proud to be part of your family and I'm glad you're part of mine. Thank you, mike, thank you guys, all right.
Speaker 1:Big fist bump Mike.
Speaker 2:Can we get a fist fist bump before you go?
Speaker 3:don't make me, you guys. It's not fair to make me cry, not make. Not fair to make me cry, guys.
Speaker 2:Thank you family let them roll.
Speaker 3:I love this. It's beautiful. Thank you so much, guys. I will absolutely treasure this forever.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it have a great rest of your day yeah, you too, thank you, thank you.
