Washington Township High School culinary arts teacher Matt Groark (right) is shown with another Operation BBQ Relief volunteer.
Washington Township High School culinary arts teacher Matt Groark recently spent time volunteering as a culinary instructor at Operation BBQ Relief’s Young Adult Camp, part of the organization’s Camp OBR arm.
At the camp, which ran from Oct. 16 to 20, Groark taught culinary therapy to 25 young adults who lost a sibling serving in the military. Losses ranged from siblings killed in action to suicide to accidents. The participants had the opportunity to connect with like people through camp programming in a distraction-free, hands-on bonding environment, according to a press release through the school district.
“Over the last 10 years, supporting and working with our servicemen and women, as well as first responders has always been a priority,” said Groark, who was invited to take part in the camp by Operation BBQ Relief founder Stan Hays.
The two met during Groark’s travels through his business, Groark Boys BBQ, which he opened in 2018.
“The opportunity to work at Camp OBR with young adults brings together three of my biggest passions: teaching, BBQ, and supporting our servicemen and women,” Groark said. “I’m fortunate to work with a leadership team here in Washington Township who encourages and supports making a difference.”
Camp OBR started in 2022 as a healing initiative through Hays’ Operation BBQ Relief. It’s a place where veterans, military, military families, and first responders can connect and grow their networks with the use of grilling and BBQ. It offers programs and activities to help heal emotional, mental, and physical wounds through team building, fellowship, and fostering individual growth and resiliency.
The camp is run at the Lake of Ozarks in Central Missouri, which spans over 190 acres right on the water.
“It’s humbling to have people that come in to tell their story about loss and know they are going to give something back,” Hays explains in a video about Camp OBR. “That is what this is about, building relationships, building life skills and bonding together.”
Richard Rockett, of St. Louis, Missouri, lost his son Trevaun, who was serving in the U.S. Navy. He said visiting the camp helped him deal with things in “a very positive way.”
Kenneth Walker, of Savannah, Texas, lost his wife, Zandra Walker, who was serving in the U.S. Army. He said the camp allows everyone to focus on “our healing, our journey.”
Victor Lockwood, of Athens, Alabama, lost his daughter Katie Jo Lockwood seven years ago. She was serving in the U.S. Navy.
“There’s a lot of people here that have been through similar things,” Lockwood shared fighting back tears in the video. “No parent should ever bury a child … when a child goes off in the military, sometimes you don’t get them back.
“… I was angry for a long time, really mad … this [place] really feels like it’s helped … I really feel like this really helped my soul.
“When you help other people, you make them feel better, but you make yourself feel better, feel better about yourself, feel better about life in general.”
Groark, known as The Meat Teacher, was a physical education and health teacher until last school year, when he transitioned to culinary. He launched his own barbecue business, Groark Boys BBQ, in 2018 developing an intense following on social media. He boasts 3.5 million followers on TikTok, 945,000 on YouTube, and 259,000 on Instagram. Married to his wife Kristin and a father of two boys, Aidric and Nash, Groark was a competitor on Season 2 of Gordon Ramsey’s reality cooking show Next Level Chef in 2023.
For more information on Camp OBR, check out the video visit https://youtu.be/IKW4-zlsHCM
