People Of All Abilities Come Together To Cook For Charity

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BALA CYNWYD, Pa. (CBS) -- Eyewitness News went to Bala Cynwyd to see the delicious results of this Brotherly Love.

On a sunny Monday morning, Gladys Fink is guiding a group of amateur chefs through the day's menu.

"Today we are?" she asks.

"Helping heroes!" the team responded.

"Exactly," Fink said. "We are the helping heroes of this community."

Every Monday, between 20 and 30 clients with a wide range of ages and abilities gather for the Helping Heroes program at the Jewish Family and Children's Service Barbara and Harvey Brodsky Enrichment Center in Bala Cynwyd.

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Here, they prep hundreds of meals for the needy: chopping, stirring, scooping and labeling.

"I think we're going to make like 200 soups today," Fink said.

Ina Pitkis of Northeast Philadelphia has been making meals for about a year and a half.

"I like to give back to others and share what my parents taught me -- give back to others," Pitkis said.

These meals will go to the Mitzvah Pantry, which serves more than 7,000 people through five locations across the area. The food goes to people of all backgrounds, so the cooks keep kosher.

Another volunteer for Helping Heroes, Anna Bossard, said, "I'm not a Jewish person, but I'll tell you, I feel like I'm Jewish inside. That's the truth."

Lisa Ney, director of programming, says Helping Heroes teaches life skills, feeds the hungry, and gives people with disabilities a place to socialize.

"Many of them, if they weren't coming to programs here, might be sitting at home, playing video games," Ney said.

"I get to help others," Lauren Kukish of Lansdale said. "I get to learn how to cook more. I'm not a very good chef or anything, but Gladys has taught me a lot."

They're lessons they use not just for themselves, but for others.

"Anyone who has difficult challenges that they face every day, and can also often put the needs of the community before their own, is really a true hero," Kukish said.