Jeff Shotwell, JJ Massaro, Lora McCarthy, Cormac McCarthy, Barry Jacobs and Paul Lindstrom attended a ceremony in December where Lora and Cormac McCarthy were honored with an award from the Hillsborough County High School Football Foundation for their generous support of high school football.
Cormac and Lora McCarthy, owners of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s FishHawk and the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bloomingdale, are stalwart believers in giving back to the community. The McCarthys are active supporters of Newsome High School, Bloomingdale High School, local nonprofits and the community in general.
For their support to the football program at Newsome High School, they were recently honored with the Hillsborough County High School Foundation Award for Community Service. Lora said, “We are very proud to receive this award. It was quite an honor.” Cormac added, “It is wonderful to know that our little store(s) can have that much of an impact on the students and future leaders.”
The McCarthys support not only football, but the dizzying list includes cross country, DECA, the National Honor Society, the Marching Bands and cheer programs. Think of them as “Boosters and More.” Cormac has participated in the Great American Teach In and said, “I enjoy those days the best. I get to share my knowledge and experience of being a business owner with the students.”
In addition to sports and schools, the McCarthys also reach out the community as a whole. They are active participants in Relay for Life. They also support the various local Rotary clubs and Kiwanis. Recently, they helped provide food to a family who had lost their home to a fire. One national organization that they are actively involved with is Lyrics For Life, an organization whose mission is to make a difference in the fight against pediatric cancer.
According to Cormac, “Giving back to the community is the Beef’s way. It is not always about the bottom line.” Lora added, “We like to help the kids in the community. They are not always going to be in school. The way we treat them today is the way they will treat us in the future.”
The McCarthys have been residents of Bloomingdale for 15 years. They employ 40 area residents between the two locations. Both locations are full service restaurants. The Bell Shoals location includes a banquet room that can hold up to 70 people.
The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s FishHawk is located at 16773 FishHawk Blvd. in Lithia and can be followed on facebook at Beef’s FishHawk. The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bloomingdale is located at 4330 Bell Shoals Rd. in Valrico and can be followed on Facebook at Beef’s Bloomingdale.
