WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The Chill Grill in Wilkes-Barre is one of the local restaurants cooking up free hot meals to donate to Fork Over Love.
“It just makes you feel good to be able to have a meal and know that it was not something frozen or you know, mass-produced – something that somebody took the time and effort to make specifically for you," said Joseph Wascavage, The Chill Grill head chef.
The Fork Over Love organization has partnered with 70 other eateries to provide dinner every week to those who may not know where their next meal is coming from.
“Everyone who comes is hungry for something different; for some people that's food, for other people, that's companionship, connection, and we're just we're happy that we were able to hand over a hot meal to help people in need,” says Tracey Selingo, founder of Fork Over Love.
The organization started to help local restaurants and residents who were hurting from the pandemic, choosing a different community in Luzerne County every week to buy takeout meals and then donate to residents who really need it.
“It helps us with business. I mean, where we're located, we're dependent upon a lot of the offices in the area. A lot of those places have not come back to work yet so you know just like everybody else we're struggling to survive,” added Wascavage.
A year later, they've grown tremendously and are now partnering with DoorDash drivers to reach even more residents of Luzerne County.
“Door Dash allows us to extend our accessibility to people who might not be able to attend a free community dinner," Selingo added. "they can receive a free dinner.”
Currently, Fork Over Love is serving 400 free, fresh meals every week. Their next meal distribution drive-thru will be held at Luzerne County Community College next Tuesday, April 5 at 5 p.m.
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