FIFA and Philly nonprofits give World Cup meals to local families

Meals prepared for World Cup athletes are now feeding families in need all across our area. Our Don Timoney was at Love Park tonight to where the less fortunate were feeling some love thanks to FIFA who teamed up with local organizations. This is a ham. There's some cheese on it to some 900 boxed lunches prepared for FIFA players competing in the World Cup matches at Philadelphia Stadium, feeding folks in need a long line at tonight's giveaway at Love Park. It was six matches in Philadelphia so after each match we got what was recovered. Tom Fry, director of operations at Everywhere Project, says 20,000 pounds of surplus food was recovered and redistributed to food banks and area nonprofits like his. We got about 8,000 pounds total mostly due to the fact that some of it was really perishable and those aren't days that we had our meal site so we could get them out within hours. Jim Johnston and about a dozen of his co-workers from the biotech company Braeburn in Plymouth meeting volunteering at this community outreach effort. He had no idea FIFA was involved in providing some of the food. I think that's awesome. I think that speaks to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, giving back to the community, not seeing things go to waste and helping so many people of need. And with World Cup fever sweeping Philadelphia and the country, this also giving those who may be houseless or food insecure a taste of the excitement. This is awesome because it's like this big thing happening and they're redirecting the extra resources to those who need them the most. When you say this is excess food from FIFA, everybody kind of feels part of that. They get excited just just with the pretzels or with the sandwiches. Everywhere Project is at Love Park every Wednesday from seven until nine in the evening, providing food and support FIFA or no FIFA. It's also in Kensington on Saturday nights and has a food pantry on Fridays in West Philadelphia. Dawn Timoney Fox 29 News