The Hibernian Hunger Project is a nationwide community service program that feeds thousands of needy people through a series of events that run throughout the year. The Project was conceived by Bob Gessler, Philadelphia County Board & AOH Division 87 President in 1999. In March 2000 the very first H.H.P. Cook-In was held by the Philadelphia Ancient Order of Hibernians (A.O.H.) and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians (L.A.O.H.) in remembrance of the more than one million Irish people who died of starvation and related diseases during the Great Irish Famine.

In 2003 the program went "national," and similar Hibernian efforts to feed the less fortunate took place across the country to coincide with the St. Patrick's Day weekend. The Philadelphia Hibernians prepared, packaged and delivered 15,000 meals for needy people in the Philadelphia/Camden area on the weekend before St. Patrick's Day 2003 as part of the 4th Annual Hibernian Hunger Project. The Project delivered the meals to local food banks, senior centers, churches and homeless shelters and linked with social service agencies including Aid for Friends to distribute the food. The "Cook-In" is the main annual event of the Philadelphia Project and is part of a series of fundraising and food collection and distribution activities that run throughout the year which include the "Great Irish Stew Cook-Off" which is held the week before St. Patrick's Day, and other events held by individual Philadelphia County Divisions. As of March 2009, the Philadelphia Hibernian Hunger Project's Cook-In has prepared over 85,000 individual meals and thousands more packaged in bulk packs.

Bob Gessler said, "We are descendants of some of the millions of Irish Famine refugees who came to America and we have a special understanding of the devastation that hunger can wreak on families, especially the young and old. God willing, Hibernians and Irish organizations in other cities will use our program as a guide and start Cook-Ins just as they have joined us in collecting and delivering food for the hungry on St. Patrick's Day." The Ancient Order of Hibernians is an international Irish Catholic fraternal organization dedicated to "Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity." For more information on the A.O.H./L.A.O.H. and our charitable works, or to get involved with the Hibernian Hunger Project, please write us at: Philadelphia Hibernian Hunger Project, 2212 E Norris Street, Philadelphia PA 19125.,