Update: With the chances of recovering the grill dwindling, local residents have started a GoFundMe page to help provide a new one. You can find the page and more information here.
CAROLINA BEACH – Martha’s Kitchen cooks a thousand free hot meals every week, serving those in and around Carolina Beach. But to do that, they need a custom grill – one that was just recently stolen.
Martha’s Kitchen was founded by Bob Hodge and wife Ruth in 2005 at the First Baptist Church in Carolina Beach. According to Hodge, the program – named in honor of his mother – started out serving food one night a week, with only the residential style kitchen at First Baptist.
“We started out, it was Tuesdays – we just had a stove and a microwave,” Hodge said. “We used the grill, well, we needed the grill to serve more people as we grew.”
Martha’s Kitchen started offering more meals, with help from nearby St. Paul’s United Methodist and a custom-made, towable stainless steel grill that Hodge purchased. Until recently, the program was able to provide meals three nights a week, serving about a 1,000 meals weekly.
Then, two weeks ago on Saturday, April 7, two men stole the Martha’s Kitchen grill. According to Hodge, the men pulled up, cut the lock on the grill’s latch, and hitched it to their vehicle, what appeared to be a blue or green 1990 Chevy pickup truck with a black camper shell.
The theft was captured on security cameras, and Hodge has tried make sure pictures of the men and their vehicle were shared on social media.
Now, Hodge is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the return of the grill.
“We’re just hoping to get the grill back, it’s vital to preparing food for the people on the island who need it,” Hodge said.
Anyone with information should contact Martha’s Kitchen by email at Fbcbmarthaskitchen@gmail.com or First Baptist Church of Carolina Beach at 910-458-5134 or church@fbccb.org. The First Baptist Church is located at 409 N Lake Park Blvd in Carolina Beach.
The Carolina Beach Police Department is still actively investigating the theft, and encourage anyone with information to contact them as well calling the department’s anonymous tip line at 910 458-1246.
Send comments and tips to Benjamin Schachtman at ben@localvoicemedia.com, @pcdben on Twitter, and 910-538-2001.
