By Harry Minium
If you're an Old Dominion University football fan, you may remember Satchel Ziffer. If you can't quite place his name, his 10 minutes of fame occurred in 2014, when the non-scholarship placekicker came off the bench to kick last-second, game-winning field goals against Florida International and Florida Atlantic. His field goals transformed what might have been a 4-8 record into 6-6 in ODU's first season in FBS.
Ziffer spent two short years at ODU, where the junior college transfer from Lancaster, Pa. graduated in 2016. He's since earned a master's degree in finance from Colorado and has done well financially working as a stock and hedge fund consultant in Los Angeles and Denver.
But those two years at ODU made a huge impression on him. When he looked for a way to help feed hungry children and others suffering because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he started a Go Fund Me page to help people in Norfolk.
He hooked up with Perfectly Frank, a restaurant in the Monarch Way section of ODU's campus. Tarah Morris, owner and operator of the restaurant, is using the donations to prepare meals at a reduced price and deliver them to hungry people.
This past week she delivered 34 meals to Hope Village, a homeless housing facility in Norfolk, and 50 meals to the 4-Kids charity program thanks to Ziffer's Go Fund Me page. Hundreds more will be delivered in the coming weeks, Morris said.
Ziffer promoted the fund on social media and got things started with a $100 donation. The fund has begun modestly, accruing just $710, but Ziffer continues to promote it and says the money will increase.
Ziffer says that if the fund helps feed just a few dozen children, it was worth his time."I just want to help, especially those really in need," he said. "Maybe one day if I need help someone will be there to help me."
Ziffer's parents run a small business in Pennsylvania Dutch country, and he reached out to Perfectly Frank because it is also a small business.
"So many small businesses are hurting, especially restaurants," he said.
Like many other restaurant owners, Morris is struggling to make ends meet on takeout orders. She's also exhausted from the extra workload she's shouldering.
She has three children at home and her husband, Sean, works long hours in the training office for the Norfolk Fire Department. Nonetheless, she's doubled her workload from about 30 hours per week to 60.
"I could probably give more hours to other people, but I work for free," she said, adding that she hasn't had to lay off any cooks or waitresses.
"How am I doing? I don't really know. I've been moving so fast because we've been in survival mode.
"I think we're going to be OK, but you just don't know anything for sure at this point."
Her eatery specializes in comfort food, from hamburgers and hot dogs (hence the name, Perfectly Frank) and French Fries to barbecue, tuna melts and fried chicken.
She has developed close ties with many at ODU, including athletic director Wood Selig and athletic donor Ray Wittersheim, who sits in the same seat for dinner before every men's and women's basketball game.
"Everyone knows that's Ray's seat," she said.
Selig ran into her last weekend while taking an early-morning walk.
"She's part of the ODU community," Selig said. "I'm so glad that Satchel stepped up to help and that he did it with Tarah."
Others have stepped up as well. Lynnhaven River Now, a group dedicated to restoring the Lynnhaven River, purchased 40 meals for emergency room nurses at Sentara Norfolk General. The Next, a private apartment complex in which many ODU student live, is sponsoring meals for nurses at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters.
Morris even got a $200 check from her ex-husband's aunt (Kathy) that fed 25 of the homeless at the Samaritan House.
She says that takeout service at many Monarch Way restaurants, including the Den by Denny's and Panera Bread, is bringing people together.
"I see families pull up in cars, pick up their food and park and talk to each other while they eat," she said. "That's a safe way to interact with people you care about. It's the next-best thing to going to a restaurant.
"It's good to see people enjoy a little normalcy."
Ziffer said he hopes more people step up to help restaurants and feed people in Hampton Roads.
"The hospitality industry is such a big part of the area's economy," he said. "So many restaurant workers are losing their jobs. How are they supposed to feed their families?
"If you're in a position to help, please do what you can."
Click here Go Fund Me to contribute.
To contact Perfectly Frank, call 757-440-1020.
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu
Minium: Former ODU Football Player Satchel Ziffer, Perfectly Frank Restaurant Team Up to Feed the Hungry
