Marty’s Story
Marty, born in Asheville, NC, lived there most of his life until a nasty divorce. He came to Myrtle Beach to start a business with a friend but before they were settled, his friend dropped out and left Marty stranded. Marty quickly got a full-time job and an apartment, but with his child support payments and the high cost of living in the Grand Strand area, he could not afford his rent and soon became homeless.
Shortly after coming to our shelter, Marty started helping in the kitchen. It became a passion for him and later, a career. “I get a lot of respect from the guys… they call me the kitchen god”. His signature dish is meatloaf, a secret recipe from his mother that he refuses to share. Marty got a job with a large food service company and worked in a commercial kitchen until early March 2020, when he was laid off due to COVID-19. When the shelter self-quarantined during the spring and volunteers, case managers, and our kitchen manager worked from home, Marty was put in charge of the kitchen and oversaw the meals. He has also been instrumental in helping with The Rolling Forward Project.
During his time at New Directions, Marty has helped cook an estimated 300+ meals at New Directions for Men, helping serve hundreds of clients as well as those in the community in need of a meal. To Marty, every client was important and he always tried to make recipes everyone would like. “I learned what people liked, who was allergic to certain things, who likes mushrooms, cheese, etc. and who doesn’t… If I didn’t know, I would try to find out”. Beyond the kitchen, he has won over clients by being someone they could trust, “Clients know they can come and talk to me...I try to help them no matter what they are going through”
Now, with a new job working for a security company and having saved some money, Marty is moving on to transitional housing and then his own place. He says that his time in our shelter has “been an adventure”. In his own words, “It’s time to close the book, turn to another chapter... Being here I have learned that I can stand on my own two feet”. We asked Marty what advice he would give to someone experiencing homelessness. He said, “Stay strong and believe in yourself, because nobody can change anything but you”. Though a bit nervous about moving out on his own, his kind and helpful disposition along with these words of wisdom, will help see him through.