“We believe, as the richest country in the world, none of us should go hungry.” Those words were shared with the Villanovan community by April McGreger, a member of the Executive Board of Directors from the People’s Kitchen of Philadelphia on Oct. 21. Faculty, staff and students were invited to Falvey 205 that evening as McGreger gave a presentation about the necessity of food justice for Villanova’s Cultural Studies Food Matters Week.
As students readjust to their routines and fill in the seats of their lecture halls, Villanova hosted multiple events advocating for food justice in America this past week. Food justice refers to a social justice movement that advocates for all American citizens having legal, unfettered access to all foods. Food justice claims that regardless of differences between individuals, all humans deserve the right to food that is nutritious and culturally-respectful.
The People’s Kitchen functions as a non-profit collaborative between various volunteers from Philadelphia, including chefs, students, farmers and community members. They have spent the last couple of years cooking free, freshly-prepared meals for citizens in need.
What started as a labor rights issue later became more dour. Philadelphia citizens who were unable to work lost their jobs, lost their sources of income and likely spent nights worrying if they would make it to the next plate of bread. The People’s Kitchen’s wholehearted form of activism exhibits the brotherly love the city is known for with its respect of food security and food sovereignty.
According to McGreger, food security refers to whether one feels secure in his or her supply of food. To be secure, people must possess enough food to feel confident about where their next meals are coming from.
Food sovereignty is about people having power over their food access. One must ask multiple questions to determine whether he or she has freedom over their next meal, such as “Do I have access to foods that are important to me culturally, or am I forced to eat foods that may not feel appropriate to me?” and “Do I come from somewhere where the food is very different from a part of my university?”
Food sovereignty goes beyond the ethos of giving people the products they deserve. It is also about individuals having control over how they produce and distribute their food, which includes someone being able to grow crops in his or her backyard. The People’s Kitchen has respected this with its lustrous community gardens, which grow crops from all different cultures with knowledge of its chefs and devoted community numbers.
This cultural diversity in the garden is present among their chefs, as well, which lets them build a variety of creative meals. Perhaps the most notable is a crab dish from the Caribbean with a side of callaloo, a traditional Jamaican or Caribbean plant used in popular dishes. There was also a time in which they turned lime into watermelon pickles.
In addition to meals and gardening, the People’s Kitchen has also participated in protesting for land rights and access to green space, especially for struggling immigrants in poor and racist neighborhoods. With the help of these immigrants and other community helpers, the People’s Kitchen refurbished multiple empty lots in southwest Philly. Together, they cleaned up the lots, removed all trash and remediated the soil to take out all the heavy metals inside it.
“Food is, by its nature, very multidisciplinary and it is something that really brings people together, because we are all eaters,” McGreger said.
With all this information about the People’s Kitchen in mind, it is clear how strongly it represents the ideologies of Veritas, Unitas and Caritas synonymous with Villanova. It represents a shining example of service, commitment and cultural respect that all can learn from.
The People’s Kitchen offers internships and training for both high school and college students who are interested in participating. Further information about the People’s Kitchen of Philadelphia can be found on the official website, or the collective’s official Instagram page, @peopleskitchenphilly.
Students can look forward to additional events that Villanova’s Cultural Studies program cooks up for the Villanova community. These events provide rich opportunities to immerse oneself in the various phenomena that give our world the diversity that makes it so special.
