Photo by Becky Billingsley
Rita Gray, left, and Chef Betty Bromley are launching a free community cooking school called Coastal Cooks as part of Street Reach Ministries in Myrtle Beach.

Update September 15: Only half way through it's inagural class and the Coastal Cooks program is showing signs of success.

This week the class cooked a meal for a large crowd of guests at the Street Reach Mission and WPDE has a great write-up on the event. Read it here.

Update July 13: Coastal Cooks have partnered with Cooper House Events Center for the first classes to be taught. 

They still need help with volunteers to help teach the classes. WBTW has more details about the classes.

First Report: Coastal Cooks is a free, ten-week program that prepares low income students, looking to improve their lives, for work in the food service industry. During the program, professional cooks work with students to teach them culinary skills, along with job and life skills. The goal is to help students succeed both in the kitchen and in their personal lives.

Coastal Cooks needs your help!

Coastal Cooks students will be working with donated and purchased food in the Street Reach Kitchen located at 1005 Osceola Street in Myrtle Beach.

I first became aware of this Community Program after reading an amazing article by Becky Billingsley when she posted the info via Facebook. The second I finished her article, I picked up the phone and called the number listed. Betty Bromley answered the phone and we talked for a while as she explained the program to me in more details. Betty almost came to tears a few times while speaking with me as she said I was the 1st person to call and she was so overjoyed that someone called and volunteered based on Becky's article.

Coastal Cooks is in a fetal stage of development right now and needs as much help and publicity it can get. There are two main areas of this program that need the most attention at this time.

• We need Culinary Professionals to Volunteer their time in helping us teach the students that qualify for this Training Program.
• We need help in acquiring items on our Equipment Wish List which can be found here at our Facebook Page. Whether you physically donate any items on our list or financially donate towards our list, all will be greatly appreciated. 

This program and it's potential truly resonates with me due to my previous career's background which was steeped in both culinary and food & beverage experience. I believe in this program as well as what is can become as well as provided for our local community. Please join me in supporting what very well could be a shining star of community outreach programs here in the Grand Stand. 

• Read the Myrtle Beach Restaurant News story that inspired Thomas.
• Follow Coastal Cooks on Facebook.
• Visit the Street Reach Myrtle Beach website (warning: autoplaying music)

Thomas is a Myrtle Beach area Realtor with Buyer's Choice Realty.