The Key West City Commission commended Tom Callahan for his outstanding contributions to the community at their regular City Commission meeting in February.
Tom Callahan permanently relocated to Key West from Maryland in 2006 upon his retirement from a career in financial planning. He co-founded the Star of the Sea Outreach Mission with St. Mary's Church this year. The Star of the Sea Foundation (SOS) was incorporated as a 501c(3) in 2009.
For 15 years, Tom was a member of the SOS board and dedicated 12 years to leadership roles as the Executive Director or CEO. Under his leadership, the organization's expansion was fueled by contributions from Monroe County, private foundations, and federal funds. Walmart Foundation's donation of more than a quarter-million dollars funded six refrigerated vehicles, while the US Department of Agriculture's grants of half a million dollars were instrumental in building the state-of-the-art community kitchen located at Key West City Hall and a 13,000 cubic foot warehouse on Rockland Key.
Today, the SOS Callahan Community Kitchen represents Tom's vision and commitment to the community by producing thousands of nutritious meals each week for children’s food programs and senior meal services.
Over the years, Tom's volunteer services to the community-leading SOS have been recognized with the Key West Chamber of Commerce's “Piece of the Rock” award and the American Red Cross "Florence Spottswood Humanitarian of the Year" award. Most recently, the Pope awarded Tom the "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal” for his exceptional, exemplary service and personal commitment to the community through his work at the SOS Foundation.
“I'm very grateful to everyone who helps make this work,” said Callahan. “We have a wonderful group of people; without them, none of this would have happened."
Vice Mayor Sam Kaufman commented on how vital Callahan's efforts are to the community and to non-profits who help those in need.
“SOS is relied upon by hundreds of people with food insecurity,” he said. “They feed so many kids, so many families. We're very proud of everything you've accomplished."
