A sense of good feeling.’ Sacramento twins donate food to 1,000 families this Christmas

The Burgess Brothers are spreading joy this Christmas season, keeping with their annual tradition of philanthropic contributions to communities in California and around the globe.

Born and raised in Sacramento, the two brothers, a firefighter and a law enforcement officer, share a meat-selling business, an entity through which they also exercise their humanitarianism.

“It’s just a different feel when we can give and put a smile on somebody’s face,” said Jonathan Burgess.

Together they donated 1,000 bags of cornmeal to families in Alameda County this past weekend. Each bag feeds four to six people, with their choice to make cornbread, pancakes, biscuits, and more.

With the help of their partners, including the Emeryville Citizens Assistance Program, (D) Sen. Nancy Skinner, (R) Sen. Brian Dahle, and the Oakland National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) branch.

Their donations did not stop there. The brothers recently partnered with Breathe Medical Manufacturing (BMM) to donate 6,000 high-quality, NIOSH and FDA-approved masks to seven schools in Johannesburg, South Africa through the Committee for South African Solidarity (COSAS).

By combining their capabilities and resources, the Burgess Brothers and BMM established a North American Partnership focused on addressing the surge of counterfeit masks distributed across the globe throughout the pandemic.

Who are the Burgess Brothers?

The Burgess Brothers business was founded by and named after the identical twin brothers and food entrepreneurs, Jonathan and Matthew Burgess. They provide food, hospitality and food services, and retail products as well as menu development and concepts for concessions. Passed down by their great-grandmother, they have generations of recipes and knowledge that have been traced back over 170 years.

Matthew has served the city of Sacramento for the last 18 years in law enforcement. Jonathan is a firefighter and has served for 24 years.

“[It’s] a sense of good feeling when we can be role models and just show how we’ve been able to serve publicly in our professions but do something in addition to our professions that put us in a positive light in our communities,” said Burgess, regarding the balance of public service and owning a business.

The Burgess Brothers meat shop was located on Sutterville Road across the street from Sacramento City College, until 2017 when they sold the building in a raffle giveaway for just one dollar.

The brothers partnered with Frank’s Quality Meats where they currently store and distribute Burgess Brothers’ meats and products on 6580 Belleau Wood Lane.