Over fifteen years ago, casino chef Jean Webster saw a man searching for food in a garbage can on an Atlantic City street. With five dollars in her pocket, she bought him a meal in a fast food place and invited him to eat at her home the next day. Soon others followed him back to Jean Webster's house and she fed them all. Just last year, Jean Webster's Kitchen provided meals for 173,860 “guests” (as she insists they be called) who received a total of 248,375 meals. Individuals, churches, casinos and the Community Food Bank of Southern Jersey have helped Jean with contributions of food, but there were many times when she used her own medication money to buy food for people.
Referred to by some as "Saint Jean," she's had to endure red tape, eviction and serious health problems. When her health caused her to leave her casino job, she continued feeding Atlantic City's needy, until she was forced to leave her Indiana Avenue home.
The First Presbyterian Church on Pennsylvania Avenue came to the rescue with kitchen space for her very special mission.
It took two years of hard work and donations from organizations, businesses and individuals to get the kitchen ready, while Jean continued to use her abandoned Indiana Avenue house to serve the needy.
Jean and her volunteers joyously took the reigns of their new church kitchen in 1997.
A true Angel of Mercy, Jean does more than just provide meals. She delivers advice and counseling. She collects clothing, blankets and holiday toys. She has helped her guests find work, retraining and housing.
Atlantic City's less fortunate go to Jean's Kitchen for a meal and something more: hope. Her guests include homeless, senior citizens, veterans and low-income families --- including many children. They have one thing in common: they are hungry and they rely on Jean Webster's Kitchen for what may be their only nutritious meal.