FLORENCE, S.C. — Cooks for Christ is renowned for its commitment to service to those in need through chicken bog benefits. On Oct. 27 the ministry cooked to benefit itself so that it might continue to serve others.
“We had to replace quite a few items. We have to get a compressor on the cooler, buy gas tanks. All our stuff wears out in a year’s time,” said Henry Brunson with Cooks for Christ.
The group was cooking out of West Florence Fire Rescue’s former headquarters station that day and people would walk out of the business office to shout out larger-than- normal donations.
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The shoutouts were frequent and would bring most work to a halt to allow volunteers and diners to applaud.
“People have been more than generous to us. We have gotten some large donations,” Brunson said as he took a break from cooking for an interview. “It’s been a good fundraiser for Cooks for Christ.”
For perspective, more than a dozen volunteers cooked pots — think medium-size caludrons — of bog on burners that were attached to purpose-built trailers fed by tanks of propane. Steam hung in the air under the trailers’ shelters while the smell of freshly cooked chicken permeated the neighborhood.
Bays that formerly held fire engines now contained a bake sale, a plate-assembly line and a dining area.
“We’re doing somewhere around 70 pots,” Brunson said. “We probably have 2,000 pounds or better (of chicken). We have 550 pounds of sausage. We had 17 or 18 50-pound bags of rice. I don’t know how many boxes of yellow rice and they come eight bags to a box.”
However many, it was enough to keep the bog flowing from the prep area outside the station to the assembly line and serving area in and in front of the station.
Cars pulled up to a volunteer who took the order, shouted the number of plates, took the payment and ran it to the checkout table for change.
As cars rolled through the pickup area drivers were enticed to purchase baked goods before they were cleared to depart with their plates of chicken bog, green beans, slaw and white bread.
On Pine Needles Road, in front of the station, a Florence County sheriff’s deputy directed traffic — a lot of traffic. A deputy is there for all the group’s on-site fundraisers.
At a recent fundraiser run out of the station, traffic backed down Pine Needles and Old Ebenezer Road onto West Palmetto Street, Brunson said.
“It’s just a good ministry. People love to come out here and help. It’s just something the community has really supported behind this ministry Cooks for Christ,” Brunson said.
A good ministry that sells great chicken bog and amazing baked goods for good causes.
We’re expecting to serve 4,300-4,200 plates today,” Brunson said.
“People have been real generous with Cooks for Christ, they really have,” Brunson said.
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