Planet Gumbo
Planet Gumbo
678 McDonnell Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32310 USA
850-425-2805
The Story of Planet Gumbo
Since 1990, Bill "Sauce Boss" Wharton has been making gumbo during his musical performances all over the US, in Canada, and in Europe. What started out as a clever idea has evolved into a total experience, breaking down the barriers and blurring the lines between artist and audience. It transforms audience into participants in community. Serving gumbo to his audience for free has become his message of sharing and brotherhood. People everywhere are listening more than ever to his message of us all being a big pot of gumbo. For this reason, Bill Wharton created:
Planet Gumbo--The Foundation.!
The goals of Planet Gumbo are
1. Feed the need--body and soul
2. Give hope and sustenance through music and the message of the gumbo
3. Raise community awareness of the problems and solutions to the problems of homelessness.
4. Provide a clearinghouse for information about programs that can benefit homeless
5. Assist local organizations in their efforts to help those in need
Planet Gumbo has brought the Sauce Boss Gumbo show to cities all over the USA
For a current list and to find out more about our other activities, see link to Planet Gumbo Programs above
Inspiration for Planet Gumbo came on November 13, 2002:
The Sauce Boss was invited to do a gumbo show at the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Orlando, FL.
He says "That performance was a watershed because so many things came together that gave us a template for what we do. On that day I took my old 1933 National Steel guitar and my gumbo pot down to play for the folks at the soup kitchen. I played and sang and spoke about the gumbo. The response was absolutely incredible. The workers at the center said they had never seen these people smiling, laughing, and talking like this. It was totally energizing for me as well. But here's the kicker. Not only did we feed the people in need, but we also had a live feed via satellite to the local Fox News network beaming the whole mess all over Orlando for the morning news and that's a large market. Lots of people saw the faces of a faceless problem."
In his performances, Bill Wharton says, "Why don't we forget our differences for a moment, sit down to the dinner table, treat each other like neighbors, then maybe we can work some of this stuff out". Planet Gumbo is a non-profit foundation that has receieved 501c3 tax exempt status. Bill Wharton and his band are volunteers, donating their performances to Planet Gumbo. Planet Gumbo IS a super cool place to live. Join us.
Planet Gumbo is an official 501c3 organization so all donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
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