A Different Kind of Hero

By K.P. Lynne

Since the beginning of time…the worst of times brings out the best of humanity.

Throughout history…one thing has remained true. During times of tragedy, turmoil and strife…heroes emerge…everyday super heroes without capes or fanfare.

"Everyday Super Heroes" have been emerging in the most unlikely of places during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A "Hero" is now defined as anyone with enough courage to put their own lives on the line to serve the needs of others. The list of heroes has become almost too great to list here.

Truck drivers, grocery shelf stockers, baggers and check-out clerks, restaurant cooks, chefs and food delivery carriers, postal workers, package delivery services, sanitation workers, linemen, utility workers, plumbers, electricians and janitors have all become the modern-day Super Man and Wonder Woman...and rightfully so. Our very existence depends upon these brave souls showing up to work in less than ideal circumstances.

These heroes are risking their own lives and the lives of their own families…day in and day out...so we have all we need to survive.

Then there are the hospitals, open 24/7... 365 days a year, with no break from the constant barrage of incoming patients...or the heartbreak from losing patients to this deadly virus...despite their best efforts to save as many human lives as possible. The physical, emotional and mental demand placed upon nurses, doctors, physician’s assistants, pharmacists, janitors and volunteers has been unsurpassed. Some never go home at all and those who do go home…carry the fear of bringing the virus home to their loved ones.

Likewise...the first responders are stressed to the max with police, fire fighters and paramedics working at the speed of light, with no rest, constant danger looming just around the corner and the never ending fear that he or she will be exposed to the virus with every call. Even more heart-breaking are the “Last Responders” – the funeral directors and embalmers who are being worked to the bone – with a task nobody wants to think about or face.

There are even more heroes emerging – welfare case workers trying to keep track of abuse cases and families who may be in more distress than normal due to the lock down, mental health workers trying desperately to help those in crisis over the phone or computer, seamstresses donating their talents around the clock to sew protective masks, 3-D printers using their gifts to make devices to reduce the pain from wearing masks constantly, design artists volunteering their time and goods to make "Open" signage for essential businesses, school kids coming up with ways to collect and distribute food and supplies, artists, performers, musicians and poets, trying to use their creative gift to make the endless days in quarantine less stressful psychologically and emotionally for as many as possible.

In the midst of this vast sea of heroes…a unique beacon of light has manifested itself...another everyday hero…valiantly shining though the darkness, brightening up dismal days and providing “Sweet Relief” to all of the other angels out there doing their part.

Meet Bob Feldman…affectionately known as Bundt Cake Bob.

Even in calmer times of "normalcy" whatever normal actually is anymore...Feldman's friends often tease...when you open the dictionary and look up the definition of “Hero”…there is simply a picture of "Bundt Cake Bob."

Bob Feldman doesn’t wear a cape, he doesn’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, and he doesn’t automatically eject from a “Bat-Mobile” - however he does drive a “Bundt Mobile”, which is even cooler than a "Bat-Mobile", and delivers nothing Bundt happiness, like an old-fashioned ice-cream truck spreading "Good Humor" on a sweltering summer day.

Selfless giving, philanthropy, and volunteerism has always been the very fabric of Bob Feldman’s life. He has devoted his entire life to helping others and took his kindness to a whole new level when he became a small business owner.

Nearly six years ago, he and his family, Beth and Seth, opened Nothing Bundt Cakes in Orland Park, IL weaving a tapestry of kindness that has blanketed the region in love. Nothing in the Southland has ever been the same since…forever changed for the better…by Bundt Cake Bob’s love of life, free spirit, generous nature, volunteer work, unconditional love for every person he meets, and his generous, compassionate, loving heart of gold.

With the love, devotion and respect of the Southland community...the beloved Bundt cake baker, community leader, and role model, eventually opened a second Nothing Bundt Cakes location in Mokena, IL where he has expanded upon his mission of spreading, peace, happiness, kindness and love... like frosting on Bundt cakes.

Bob Feldman’s unique philosophy was far too great to be contained by the South suburbs.

Feldman’s multifaceted creativity changed the whole world for the better in several international, global, best-selling books…taking his messages of peace, love, tolerance and kindness...from the South Suburbs of Chicago to the ends of the earth... via heart-warming children’s books and motivational quotes for teens and adults. And as one would expect…he donates his royalties from those books...right back into the community...with book donations, a “Books and Bundts” literacy program, and a traveling Little Free Library, dedicated in honor of his late Grandmother.

Gracious letters hailed from as far away as the Soviet Union, Australia, India, Japan and Germany…from children, teens and adults, whose lives were touched by Bundt Cake Bob’s books and his vision for one world of joy, where we can all look different, be different colors, different shapes and different sizes, possessing different abilities, different views, different beliefs, different opinions, different thoughts and different ideas…yet still be one and the same...as one human race...united by love...where we treat each other with decency, respect, kindness and civility…regardless of differences.

Feldman's heartfelt passion for giving and his selfless love for others sparked his latest endeavor, “Sweet Relief”…providing surprise deliveries of sweet treat donations for over-worked, emotionally drained and physically exhausted front-line workers at hospitals, police stations, fire departments, grocery stores, hardware stores, doctors offices and more!

In the past...Feldman would constantly “GIVE” from his own pocket…but given the shaky situation for small business owners during the Covid-19 Pandemic – he wisely asked a for a little help from his friends…matching their donation…so he could provide even more “Sweet Relief” to exhausted front-line workers. The response has been overwhelming and is a testament to the good that can happen in this world when people “Come Together!”

Whenever he is asked about his latest endeavor, he humbly replies, “We’re all in this together.”

Imagine working 50 hours, desperately trying to save lives and losing just as many, worrying whether in spite of your best efforts, YOU will be the next one to contract it or die, you are physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted…you are on the brink of tears…and out of nowhere…here comes this colorful, vibrant, happy, Bundt Mobile…and out comes this angel on earth…a “Bundt Cake Angel”…filled with so much love...who desperately want to comfort you with a hug…but due to social distancing guidelines he is waiting to give you the next best thing…"Sweet Relief” in the form of delicious sweet treats!

What seems like such a small gesture...litearlly means the world to someone who is on the front lines, probably skipped lunch, and is starving for a small bite of anything, not to mention a small morsel of normalcy and joy... in a situation that has become anything but normal.

“Sweet Relief”…is the only way to describe the feelings being evoked daily by these cakes.

Bob Feldman could easily stay at home…warm and safe with his family…protected from possible Covid-19 exposure…instead he goes out there every day…risking his life…in spite of his protective mask and gloves…he knows it is still a risk…and it weighs on his mind and heart…but to him…the momentary relief…the brief smile from underneath a mask…and the tears of joy he witnesses daily on his journey of love…far outweighs the risk to himself.

Bob Feldman has courageously chosen to step up and personally deliver “Sweet Relief” to the truly essential workers, the brave men and women, who are working around the clock healing and helping mankind get access to medical care, basic necessities to live and another day of survival.

When asked why he does it…with his usual humility he replies…“We owe them that much.”

And we all owe a great deal of gratitude to Bundt Cake Bob for courageously being a different kind of hero.

Bob Feldman has always made a difference in this world...but his selfless acts of kindness have elevated him from hero to Super Hero.

If you or your business are in a position to help spread "Sweet Relief" contact Bob Feldman at Nothing Bundt Cakes of Orland Park or Mokena to find out how you can join the movement and be a different kind of super hero too!