Minneapolis Church Raises Thousands To Replace Stolen Smoker
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The pastor of a north Minneapolis church whose smoker was stolen last week says enough money has been raised to replace it.
Pastor Jeff Nehrbass of Gethsemane Lutheran Church told WCCO the industrial-sized smoker was used to feed dozens of people every week. During the unrest following George Floyd's murder last summer, the church was feeding between 1,300 to 1,500 people every single day.
Nehrbass said the church has raised $3,000 for a new smoker, and construction on the device will begin Friday. It will be made by the same person who made the original smoker.
The pastor said the church, which also operates a food shelf, has a mission to "provide food, good food, culturally-specific food to our neighbors on our blocks, to address what is one of the five largest food deserts in the country."