A Tampa Bay man has been named one of the finalists for the Most Benevolent Beard in America contest. However, winning is not just about good grooming—it’s about goodwill.
When Matthew Nadu arrives at a community garden, it’s like Christmas morning; instead of a sled full of toys, he delivers a car full of plants.
“We’ll come into community gardens, like The Sustainable Living Project, and we’ll just be like what do you need? What are some cool things that we can plug in and help you with?” said Nadu.
The name of Nadu's Bradenton-based company is Bring Back Eden.
“We build out food forests, and a food forest is exactly what it sounds like, it's a forest made out of food,” said Nadu.
Whatever they have left over from a job site, from mulch to seeds to trees, is donated to various community gardens across Tampa Bay.
Nadu will even do the digging for them. Georgea Snyder is the director of the non-profit Sustainable Living Project in Tampa.
“I thought that was really neat. I was really touched and excited that somebody a little further away found us because we tend to be hyper-local,” said Snyder.
Nadu said every community garden has a story.
“When I first connected with Georgea, she was telling me how they lost their greenhouse to the hurricane, insurance won’t cover it. How they support veterans, a lot of that grant and a lot of that money got cut after 2020, so they are doing so much and putting in so much heart and soil and it can be very draining,” said Nadu.
Now, Nadu's mission is being recognized nationally thanks to his beard. He is among the top five finalists in the Wahl Most Benevolent Beard in America contest.
“So it was super cool because I worked in LA a long time, and there's a lot of vanity in what you look like. So it's nice to be able to grow a beard, which is pretty easy, but to be able to have a purpose and a mission behind it,” said Nadu.
Wahl, which makes men’s grooming products, had two main criteria: the finalists must have a good beard and a mission of goodwill.
“These are the things that we want to help with because it builds community,” said Nadu.
He said win or lose, he’s proud that his beard is all-natural, like his mission.
“We’re growing coconuts. I use the coconut oil for my beard, avocado, eggs, so it's like what we’re growing also fuels the thickness of my beard,” said Nadu.
The winner will be announced on Oct. 1.
For more information on Bring Back Eden, go to this link.
For more information on The Sustainable Living Project, go to this link.
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