TV Chef Paula Deen Visits Philly With Gift of Hams

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Southern chef Paula Deen has joined with Smithfield Hams and Acme Markets to donate thousands of pounds of protein to the Philadelphia hunger nonprofit Philabundance.

Deen brought her characteristic Southern charm and big voice to Philadelphia (a city she says she loves, by the way) to help donate 120,000 servings of protein, mostly blue-wrapped hams marked with her photo and signature.

Deen says it's important to do what you can.

"I totally understand that you can't bring in 25 to 30 thousand pounds of protein to your food bank, but whatever you can bring, it's needed," Deen said on Wednesday.

Bill Clark, president of Philabundance, says the donation could not have come at a better time, thanks to Congress.

"Every one of those individuals who are not going to be able to get unemployment benefits, I expect to see them -- or at least a large percentage of them -- in our lines in the next few weeks."

He said he thought his agency would be seeing a "tsunami" of needy people soon.

Reported by Karin Phillips, KYW Newsradio 1060.