Diane Keaton’s profound charitable acts have been revealed by a businessman who worked with the late Hollywood icon in giving back to the less fortunate. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Mail, Evan J. Fox, the owner of Los Angeles-based food trucks Yeastie Boys Bagel, has revealed how Keaton would personally feed the unhoused at events benefitting The People Concern, a non-profit assisting victims of domestic violence and those experiencing homelessness. Keaton hired Fox’s company after meeting him on the set of her 2022 comedy Mack and Rita, for which Yeastie Boys catered.

Now, Fox is remembering Keaton’s big heart following her heartbreaking death at age 79. ‘Diane was at the charity events herself, feeding the unhoused herself as well as coming on the trucks to help myself and our staff hand out food and take pictures with us,’ Fox told The Daily Mail. Fox insisted Keaton was the driving force behind all the charitable efforts: ‘On all of the calls that I took with her she was always so sweet and so gracious and so grateful for what we were doing, but in reality, Diane herself spearheaded everything. I take no credit other than supporting her charitable endeavors.’

Fox paid tribute to Keaton on Instagram shortly after news broke of her death, sharing a photo from the set of Mack and Rita where they first linked up. ‘We were hired to cater the set, as well as being a backdrop for a scene in her movie,’ he explained. ‘She was so sweet and so kind and spent time with the truck staff and I to meet and greet with everybody…. Total gem of a person.’ The post included a voice message Keaton left him in which she thanked him for all his help. She even sang a snippet of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

‘I just want to say you’re my hero,’ Keaton can be heard telling Fox in the message. ‘I just think it’s so special what you’ve done with your team and they’re wonderful. I can’t thank you enough and to think of what a wonderful thing you’ve done for people.’ Fox said that particular message was his ‘favorite’ of all the ones she left him. ‘She left me several voicemails. That was my favorite. I had no idea she was going to sing me a very sweet Christmas song. She called me and I missed the call and she called me to talk about the event we had just done over the holiday for her.

‘She was so normal and down to earth and I was always so nervous to pick up the phone and talk to her cause I was in such awe, and I was actually kind of starstruck. Despite her A-list status, Keaton always made Fox feel like she was part of her family. ‘But she never made me feel that way. She always sort of made me feel like I was part of her family or a friend that I’ve had for a long time. Sweetest kindest woman. ‘I will miss her.’

Yeastie Boys currently has a bagel sandwich made in honor of Keaton – ‘The Diane Bagel’ – which is available as an off-menu item. However now Fox is considering making it a permanent part of the menu. ‘The Diane Bagel is always available at our trucks as an off menu item. But honestly, we are getting so much demand for it that I think I wanna put it as a permanent fixture on our menu and call it the Diane. She will live in our hearts forever.’

At the height of the pandemic, when many people were fearful of getting into close contact with others, Keaton continued supporting the organization in person. She shared videos of her donating numerous bags of clothing to The People Concern, declaring in the caption: ‘IT’S FOR A GOOD CAUSE!!!’ Two years earlier Keaton showed her support for the non-profit by attending their Celebrating Change gala, where she posed with CEO John Maceri.

The Daily Mail has reached out to The People Concern for comment but have not yet heard back. Fox revealed his partnership with the late icon in a touching tribute he shared after her death, posting a photo of The Godfather star posing beside his truck. ‘Rest in Power to the sweetest, kindest and coolest customer Yeastie Boys has ever had. The first time I met @diane_keaton was for a very cool movie she included us in via @katieaselton @alexsaks – we hit it off immediately.

‘Over the years. Diane hired us for charity work thru the very special organization @thepeopleconcern who we still work with to this day. I learned that this was a very important part of her life. Doing charitable work. Doing the right thing. She was always so kind to our staff, and myself. ‘I debated posting this next slide, but I felt that it was such a special voicemail to receive and it illustrates what an amazing person she was. She sang me a Christmas song at the end of the message, which still gives me actual goosebumps. Please enjoy.’

‘DIANE THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND ALL YOU DID FOR THE WORLD. YOU TOUCHED MANY AND WILL ALWAYS BE A HUGE PART OF THE YEASTIE BOYS STORY. LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!’ A family spokesperson confirmed Keaton’s passing at the age of 79 to People on Saturday. A friend close to the star told the outlet, ‘She declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her. It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit.’ They added, ‘In her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private. Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening.’ Keaton never married but adopted two children in her 50s: daughter Dexter and son Duke.