PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Eleven restaurants in Manayunk joined forces Sunday to cook and deliver more than 800 meals to those in need this holiday season.
The tradition was started by Bruce Cooper of Jake’s & Cooper’s Wine Bar and Wine Shop in 1996 with help from the Manayunk Development Corporation and North Light Community Center, which hosts the event. That first year, they served a full turkey dinner to community members in need. Today, volunteers distribute those meals to families throughout the area.
Bruce Joseph Cooper II, the general manager at Jake's & Cooper's Wine Bar, says a lot of businesses contributed this year, making chicken dinners, and baked goods, while they made salads for 300 people.
“It makes me happy, like working here because I can see my community and I see the people that are going into my community,” he said.
Neighbors who use their food pantry are the first to sign up for the hot meals, along with referrals from other community members.
As food was delivered, volunteers inside the Community Center on Green Lane wrapped gifts for children under 18 and those with intellectual disabilities.
Cooper, who was only a kid serving cookies when his dad started this tradition, says the event serves as a reminder to all during the holiday season.
“I think the best thing to do is reach out to your fellow person — doesn't matter who they are, it doesn't matter what their gender is, what their orientation is, what their political fulfillment is. Be a human being. We're all human inside. We all are all somebody's child.”
Manayunk Development Corporation says in the three decades of this tradition, they have provided more than 15,000 meals to those in need.