The Johnson County community is banding together to help Griddle Me This, an Iowa City catering and mobile food company, after its trailer that is used to make food was stolen.

Griddle Me This is a company best known for its presence at the Iowa City Farmers Market. Liz and Matt Georges, Iowa City residents and co-owners of the company, started the business in 2010.

On Nov. 6, the couple discovered their trailer, an integral part of their business, had been stolen from the parking lot of a local business where they parked the trailer.

While they were at first shocked and disheartened, the Iowa City community soon showed up for the Georges through a GoFundMe page started by Liz’s coworker, which has raised over $13,000 as of Nov. 16.

The fundraiser’s goal was set to $15,000, to be used to help replace the missing equipment and supplies that were in the stolen trailer.

The fundraiser was started by Channing Smith, a North Liberty resident and realtor for Encompass Real Estate Group. Smith and Liz Georges both work for Encompass and were motivated to start the campaign after hearing about his coworker’s loss.

“We’ve had food from there. We always hear about the farmers market and their breakfast is amazing,” Smith said. “We’ve experienced the good food they have to offer and their support in the community.”

When Smith and his coworkers at Encompass heard about the theft of the trailer, they wanted to support Griddle Me This by raising money for the Georges’ business.

“My business partner said we should put the word out and the first thing that came to mind was ‘hey we should start a GoFundMe’,” Smith said. “I’ve never done a GoFundMe, and I’ve seen the success of it, so it just made sense.”

Smith said he has enjoyed Griddle Me This’s food in the past and wanted to ensure it continued in the future.

“We’re just incredibly grateful. When I’m not working at Griddle Me This, I’m a realtor, and my team Encompass started the GoFundMe for us which was incredibly nice of them, and we were just thinking, okay, you know, we’ll see what we can get here,” Liz Georges said.

Liz said the level of support that the family has received from the community was unexpected.

“We did not expect it to take off like it has, and it’s just been kind of a rollercoaster of emotions the last week just from everything being gone to now the whole community rallying behind us,” she said. “It makes us feel like people care beyond just getting their Saturday morning breakfast.”

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The Georges have spent over a decade catering their breakfast goods to local events and setting up a stand to sell food to Iowa City Farmers Market attendees.

Griddle Me This specializes in traditional and contemporary American breakfast food, Matt Georges said.

“We do omelets, classic breakfasts with hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, and sausage, and our most popular item is our lemon buttermilk pancakes,” he said. “We do a unique special every week that the community gets to vote on [our Instagram].”

Liz said she and Matt each run a different aspect of the business.

“Matt is kind of the brains behind the operation. He came up with all the recipes and the menu and I’m the face, taking all the orders, making community connections, and coordinating catering,” Liz said.

Smith, Liz, and Matt put the GoFundMe on Encompass’s and Griddle Me This’s business Facebook pages, personal Facebook pages, local buy-sell-trade Facebook pages, and national realty Facebook pages to garner as much support as they could.

“We want to thank everybody who has supported us and has been sharing our posts and looking our for us and our trailer, if it turns up,” Matt said. “Everybody that’s made us feel very supported and loved, we love the community and appreciate everybody for what they’ve done.”