Chefs provide free, nutritious food to Philadelphians through 'The People's Kitchen'

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A group of chefs and community members in South Philadelphia are feeding more than 100 people per day, for free, through a kitchen that promotes healthy eating.

The People's Kitchen was founded in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, after Benjamin Miller and his team saw a need in their community.

"As a cook, the main thing I want to do is have somebody eat my food and tell me that it's good and know that it was nourishing them. So I don't care if it's a banker, a sports player, a CEO, or somebody on the street," said Miller, who's the co-director.

"Philadelphia is the poorest major city in the country. A quarter of our residents are in poverty and food insecurity is a real thing," he added.

Knowing that people were struggling, Miller wanted to provide his neighbors with an easy way to eat fresh food for free.

"After the pandemic started to wear down a little bit, we decided that we still wanted to continue to work," he said.

In the past three years, The People's Kitchen has grown into a community staple.

Different businesses and individuals donate funding, and volunteers donate their time and talents to help their neighbors.

"Even after the pandemic, the need hasn't really gone away," said volunteer Ellissa Collier. "It really only costs about $5 to feed a person a meal, which isn't much."

A lot of the food The People's Kitchen makes is farm-to-table from a community garden at 61st and Reinhard streets in the city's Kingsessing neighborhood.

The long-term goal is to open another kitchen in that neighborhood to serve even more of the city.

"Everybody should eat good and have the energy to prosper," said Miller.

As Miller and his team build their vision, the impact is seen every day on the people who are grateful to eat.