Detroit chefs unite to make 20,000 meals for the city’s homeless shelters in efforts to combat COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has forced scores of restaurants to close across the country.

Given the health crisis, several chefs in Detroit are using their gifts to feed the city’s homeless.

Celebrity chef Maxcel Hardy, who idled his COOP Caribbean Fusion restaurant in Detroit’s Midtown area, continues to cook for his fellow Detroiters. He took his talents to the Horatio Williams Foundation kitchen to feed families living in shelters, as reported by WDIV-TV.

And Hardy is not alone. The Detroit native teamed up with other award-winning chefs in the city to pay it forward during a tragic period for the Motor City.

READ MORE: In Detroit, grief runs deep as city grapples with COVID-19

“We’re just trying to do what we can to make sure that we take care of most vulnerable folks here in Detroit, that being our homeless population,” said Hardy, a lifelong resident.

Hardy said in an Instagram post last week the efforts have produced more than 20,000 meals in 33 days.

View this post on Instagram

And that is a wrap 20,221 meals, 33 days much love to everyone that helped make this happen!! It was truly a blessing to be able to a blessing to so many and I could have not done it without the following @chefmattschellig @barrywinfree @thehoratiowilliamsfoundation @dericsonpr @considermedressed @sahara_monet @oakland_ave_urban_farm @aquaholicdrinks @stephbyrd.blk @syscodetroit @gordonfoodservice @scottrutterbush @delbeneproduce @mpurvis_charityceo @floodsdetroit @theblockdetroit @b96streetfood @kuzzoschickenandwaffles @mgmgranddetroit @forgottenharvest @bernardkanjoma @chefphiljones @chef_works @karenchefworks @detroit_shipping!! #love, #86hunger, #toomanycooksinthekitchen, #foodisalifestyle

A post shared by chefmaxhardy (@chefmaxhardy) on Apr 29, 2020 at 2:17pm PDT

Metro Detroit is one of the hardest-hit areas by the coronavirus crisis. out of 43,200 COVID-19 diagnoses in the state of Michigan, a majority of cases were found in the three counties surrounding Detroit. More than 8,500 residents in the majority Black city have tested positive of the deadly disease.

Detroit is beset by persistently high poverty rates. Hardy and his confidants recognized that the city’s homeless population is even more vulnerable to catching the virus.

“If you’re malnourished and you’re not eating right, you’re not going to have a fighting chance against COVID-19,” Hardy said.

READ MORE: Armed protestors storm Michigan Capitol over stay-at-home-orders

The Horatio Williams Foundation kitchen has fed more than 9,000 people so far, averaging around 400 per day. The kitchen operates on weekdays.

The Horatio Williams Foundation stocks it kitchen by receiving food donations and recovery efforts from restaurants, warehouses and distributors. Culinary students are also volunteering at the center.

Hardy and his fellow chefs attribute the city’s fighting spirit as the inspiration for this selfless act of kindness.

“It goes to who we are as Detroiters, because we know if nobody else will do it and look out for us, we look out for ourselves,” he said.

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“Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen for Good” getting some love from WDIV’s Sandra Ali

A post shared by David Rudolph (@dericsonpr) on Apr 29, 2020 at 7:24pm PDT

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