Columbus charity event will feature notable names, including ex-UGA & NFL player
An event this weekend for a local charity will bring a little bit of Louisiana to downtown Columbus.
The Plummer Home is hosting its third annual crawfish boil from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday inThe Loft courtyard to raise money for their efforts in helping homeless military veterans.
Plummer Home Board chairman Greg Jordan said the event will have a variety of food in addition to crawfish, including Moe’s Original BBQ, Ressmeyer Catering, Midland Ghost sauces and Conecuh Sausage.
The event also will feature a musical performance by Frankie Mincey, according to Jordan.
“He (Mincey) just brings just a wonderful group of entertainment for that,” Jordan told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Jordan said the event also will host a silent auction with items such as NFL memorabilia, beach vacations and other donated items from around the city. All proceeds go to The Plummer Home, he said.
Jordan said his favorite part of this event is how it’s received throughout the community.
“What it does for The Plummer Home is bringing awareness for people to understand who we are,” he said.
The Plummer Home’s impact
The home has restored 656 homeless veterans throughout its mission, Jordan said. The Rev. Roy Plummer, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, founded it in 2010. Plummer also served Columbus as senior pastor of Faith Tabernacle Church and director of Army instruction for the JROTC program in the Muscogee County School District before he died in 2022.
The event has grownfrom 500 attendees the first year to 650 last year. The group estimates 1,000 attendees for this year’s event, according to Jordan.
Celebrity chefs for the event include Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson, Georgia House District 139 Rep. Carmen Rice, Georgia Department of Veteran Services Commissioner Patricia Ross and American Legion Post 35 Commander Lakesha Stringer.
The First Lady of Georgia, Marty Kemp, will be an honorary chef due to scheduling conflicts, according to Jordan. Kemp sent a video, to be played at the event, praising The Plummer Home’s efforts in helping homeless veterans.
Another celebrity chef for the crawfish boil sat down with the Ledger-Enquirer to talk about why he is involved in the event.
Ex-Harris County and UGA football star to attend
Jordan Jenkins was a star football player at Harris County High School before playing outside linebacker at the University of Georgia and then the New York Jets (2016-20) and the Houston Texans (2021) in the NFL.
Jenkins lost half of his pinky finger at the age of 12 after an accident involving a garage door railing. Jenkins said he received treatment at Fort Benning, where physicians helped him process the mental trauma from the incident.
“The long story short, when that happened, I was like, ‘I know eventually, if I ever make it to be a millionaire or anything like that, I want to give back to the military,’” he said.
Jenkins said he met Jordan during a vacation in Florida before Jordan invited him to be a part of the event after his retirement from the NFL.
Jenkins said he is in the process of starting his own charity he will call The Harboring Change Initiative.
Jenkins is no stranger to the military. His father served 22 years in the Army, Jenkins said. He said he remembers seeing his dad in uniform and loved “bring your kids to work day” when he would get to visit his dad on base.
Jenkins said his parents are why he wants to give back.
“I just want to be a blessing and provide for everyone that’s sort of provided for me along the way, and that was the military provided for me. My parents provided for me,” Jenkins said.
This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 1:56 PM.