'Everybody Eats' nonprofit finds a home at food court in Chester, Pa.
"We want to keep spreading the awareness that food is a major issue," said Stephanie Willis, one of the founders.
CHESTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A Black-led nonprofit that has fed underserved communities for two years celebrated the opening of its first physical location Saturday at a food hall in Chester, Delaware County.
"Everybody Eats Philly" was founded in 2020 in response to the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. During the social unrest, a group of chefs looked around their community and saw a problem they could help fix.
"We want to keep spreading the awareness that food is a major issue. People are literally having to choose between paying bills and feeding their families, and it shouldn't have to be that way," said Stephanie Willis, one of the founders.
For two years-- she and a group of Black chefs have been giving away food across the country. However, they've been missing a physical location to be their headquarters.
They found exactly what they were looking for at Vittles Food Court in Chester.
The nonprofit will operate four different counters at Vittles offering everything from salads to cheesesteak burgers at an affordable cost for the community. They'll also have a free community fridge outside.
"Chester is the radius of about five miles, but it's about 30,000 people in the city of Chester, so access to good, fresh, local food is very important," said chef Kurt Evans, co-founder of the nonprofit.
The group also plans to have one of the counters dedicated to new entrepreneurs in the community. They'll rotate out one of the booths every three to four months to give people their start in the restaurant industry.
"We can help them with their business model, we can help them try to get funding, we can help them with our relationship with different food purveyors," said Willis. "This is just a small stepping stone in the grand scheme of things."
