In midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 215 People’s Alliance and South Philly Barbacoa support meals for families and workers

PHILADELPHIA — For many families, the loss of income due to the economic shutdowns means struggling for their next meal. This reality is particularly intense for the families of those in undocumented communities, serivce-industry workers and others made vulnerable by Philadelphia’s already deep and racialized poverty. 

In response, 215 People’s Alliance has started a food security and employment survival project called the People’s Kitchen in collaboration with the popular restaurant South Philly Barbacoa and with support from World Central Kitchen. Each day, Monday through Friday, different chefs from local restaurants use South Philly Barbacoa’s kitchen to cook 200 wholesome meals, such as jerk chicken and chicken tikka masala. These meals are then handed out or distributed via volunteer delivery drivers to families and community partners, such as the Church of the Redeemer Baptist in Point Breeze, the Domestic Workers Alliance and UNITE HERE Philly.

This Thursday May 28 at 3:00pm, Councilmember Brooks will pick up and deliver a portion of the meals to families in South Philadelphia in collaboration with the organization SEAMAAC. This is part of her ongoing work addressing the acute needs of vulnerable families in crisis while highlighting the necessity of long-term programs to address Philadelphia’s structural inequality. 

This is the second time that Councilmember Brooks has delivered meals directly to residents’ doors. During this time, the People’s Kitchen and other survival mutual aid efforts have become a lifeline for those who cannot leave their homes during the pandemic, such as the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.  

Since starting the People’s Kitchen, both South Philly Barbacoa and 215 People’s Alliance have been inundated with requests for meals, even as across the city neighbors have come together to help each in times of need. “We thank Councilmember Brooks for her volunteer efforts with the People’s Kitchen, which our restaurant South Philly Barbacoa is in collaboration with World Central Kitchen, 215 People’s Alliance, and community partners. We started serving meals as a response to the crisis, and have quickly gained a deeper understanding of the greatness of the need. We want to continue and expand this project post-COVID to serve the ongoing hunger crisis in Philadelphia, and we need the public’s support.”

For more information and how to volunteer or donate to the project, visit http://215pa.com/peoples-kitchen/.

215 People’s Alliance, an independent, multi-racial community based organization fighting for racial and economic justice. 215 People’s Alliance is made up of parents and neighbors, teachers and students, union members and block captains, cab drivers and cashiers. The organization focuses on the core struggles that the majority of our city is facing and fights for the progressive interests of all working people.