- [Drew] Please welcome the man
behind Brooklyn Banana Bread Company, Sean Reynold.
- [Ross] Hi, Sean.
- Hi, Drew. Hi.
Hi, Ross.
- Hi. - Thank you for having me.
I'm so excited to be here.
As you can see,
I brought some of that Brooklyn Banana Bread for you.
- Which I am not gonna lie,
all I wanna do is ask you a question
and hear your answer as I chew
because I've been waiting to try it.
Reading your story was so moving.
And will you tell us about bringing the bread
to your girlfriend and kind of the origin story?
- Okay, so during the height of COVID, my girlfriend,
she's a nurse, and I was hearing the story.
She would call me crying, stressed.
So I figured what can I do to uplift her and her colleagues?
So I decided to bake my mother's delicious banana bread.
And I went up there and gave her unit some banana bread.
And then I started thinking,
"Well, she has friends and colleagues
who are healthcare professionals
and work at other hospitals,
why not donate to those other units as well?"
And then I took it a step further and said,
"Hey, you know what?
Let me donate to every hospital in New York City."
- [Ross] Wow.
Wow. (audience applauding)
Come on, Sean.
(audience applauding)
And how's that journey going
delivering to every hospital in New York?
- It's going great.
I mean, I've done almost every one except for four.
But I've done hospitals in Connecticut,
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland.
She and I, we even took a trip...
(audience applauding)
We took a trip down to the George Floyd Memorial
and gave out some there, gave out some
to a food distribution center out there in Minneapolis.
So I'm just having a great time
showing love and appreciation
to those who help take care of us during this time.
- Oh, come on, that is the goal.
That's the reason. - How are you like this?
Where does this kindness, this generosity, this energy,
where does it come from?
- So I grew up in a Christian household
where there were values and principles instilled in me.
Some of those values were working hard,
being a good financial steward,
showing love and giving back.
And my mother really embodied that loving and giving back.
Her generosity showed.
So that's part of my DNA.
So now I just work hard at loving and giving back.
- [Ross] Ah.
(audience applauding)
That is so great and I love it.
It's your mom's spirit in there.
It's also her recipe here.
And I know you spent a lot of money doing this, like 15,000?
- [Drew] Of your own money?
- Of my own money, over $15,000 of my own money.
A lot of people out here are hurting
and it saddens me to know that they're hurting.
And as long as I have breath in my lungs
and I have the capacity to do it,
I will help those individuals that I can.
(audience applauding)
- [Drew] I'm so lucky to hear your story.
We're all so lucky to hear your story.
- [Sean] Thank you.
Thank you.
- [Drew] What is next for you?
- Well, I'm looking forward to the next 12,000
and what would that bring?
I'm gonna continue donating, I wanna donate
and finish up with the firehouses and the EMT houses
and the police departments.
- [Drew] And you've got four more to go,
then where does the mission go?
You put the stamp on, you're like,
"Okay, I checked all those boxes."
And then where does your journey take you?
- [Sean] Well, sometimes the journey finds me.
I sit back and I have goals for myself
and for donating, but sometimes it finds me.
So for me, ultimately, I would love
to establish a foundation
where we can start to implant
these type of donations in every city.
- Well, if you build it, they will come,
and I appreciate that life advice to stay open
to the road that presents itself,
and I appreciate that so much.
And we just admire and appreciate everything you're doing.
And our friends at Clabber Girl Baking Powder
appreciate you too, and they wanna chip in $5,000
to your ongoing campaign,
and I'm gonna match it, so that's $10,000.
- [Ross] Wow.
- [Drew] Because we love and appreciate
everything you're doing, you're the living example,
and it's the celebration of your mom too.
- I don't even have words to explain how I feel right now.
I just thank you, I thank you.
I thank all of you for allowing me
to share a story of love and compassion.
And I think that's what we need in this world.
You do what you can, and make sure you take care
of your neighbors.
- [Drew] And you know what?
Sometimes words are cheap.
Your action says everything and may we all be more like you.
So how about that?
- [Ross] Yes please.
(audience applauding)
- [Sean] Thank you.
- [Drew] Thank you so much.
(audience applauding)
Thank you for everything that you do.
Thank you, Sean Reynolds.
And if you go to thedrewbarrymoreshow.com,
you'll find all about the Brooklyn Banana Bread Company
and how you can support
and get that yummy banana bread as well.
(upbeat music)