From Hollywood soundstages to East Tennessee front porches, two familiar TV faces are using their star power to fight hunger.
Actors Patrick Duffy, best known for his roles on Dallas and Man from Atlantis, and Linda Purl from The Office and Happy Days, made a stop this week with CAC Mobile Meals, delivering meals and raising awareness about food insecurity among seniors.
The longtime actors, who are married, said their visit was about more than promotion. They were in East Tennessee to support Mobile Meals and to see firsthand how donations translate into daily help for homebound seniors.
“We’ve been actively involved in our careers for 50 years,” Duffy said. “We had a friend who dropped the dime on us at one point in a conversation. He said, ‘I’m in the legacy portion of my life right now, and I don’t want to do things that don’t have a deeper meaning anymore.’ And that struck home with us.”
That mindset led the couple to launch a business rooted in family tradition. A 75-year-old sourdough starter passed down in Duffy’s family became the foundation for “Duffy’s Dough,” a sourdough bread company that donates every cent of its profits to organizations working to address hunger.
Neither actor said they fully understood the scale of food insecurity until becoming directly involved.
“The need is huge,” Purl said. “But it’s solvable. And that’s the good news.”
The TV couple gave a check to CAC worth $5,000, with the help of Kroger.
Duffy and Purl travel nationwide to visit partner organizations and ride along with volunteers. During their stop in East Tennessee, they joined Mobile Meals drivers as they delivered lunches to seniors.
“To see the response when someone opens the door … it’s like Santa Claus just arrived,” Duffy said.
For one recipient, Barbara, the routine knock at the door came with a surprise visit from a TV cowboy.
“Write this down,” Barbara said. “No one is going to believe me when I tell them.”
Last year, CAC Mobile Meals served nearly 2,000 homebound seniors each day. Volunteers also reported about 1,300 concerns related to seniors’ health and safety, highlighting how meal deliveries often double as a critical wellness check.
For Duffy and Purl, the mission is simple: use what they’ve built to help others.
They hope their business does more than break bread — warming hearts, filling stomachs and reminding people that a single delivery can be a lifeline.
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