We Support
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Food is essential to life every single day, all over the world—and it is more important than ever in a crisis. Not only is a thoughtful, freshly prepared meal one less thing someone has to worry about in the wake of a disaster, it is a reminder that you are not alone, someone is thinking about you, and someone cares. Food has the power to be the nourishment and hope we need to pick ourselves back up in the darkest times.
In 2010, Chef José Andrés, ready to use his culinary knowledge and talent to help, headed to Haiti following a devastating earthquake. Cooking alongside displaced families in a camp, he was guided on the proper way to cook black beans the way Haitians like to eat them: mashed and sieved into a creamy sauce. It wasn’t just about feeding people in need—it was about listening, learning, and cooking side by side with the people impacted by the crisis. This is the real meaning of comfort food, and it’s the core value that José, along with his wife Patricia, used at the center of founding World Central Kitchen.
Over the years, José and WCK teams have continued to learn, adapt, and build responses unique to each situation and community. We have, at times, made long- term commitments in food systems following disasters. Our Food Producer Network ran for five years supporting small food producers in Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, Guatemala, and the USVIs. While cooking hot meals with locally sourced ingredients from Field Kitchens has traditionally been our goal and focus in times of crisis, sometimes fresh produce boxes or meal kits for families to cook themselves are a better fit. Partnering with local restaurants looking to help their neighbors allows us to get meals ready immediately.
During our response to the Covid-19 pandemic, meals that were cooked, cooled, and could be reheated by families safely at home met the unique need of the time. The WCK approach is that we should always work with urgency, listen to communities, and adapt—all virtues that guide our work. World Central Kitchen teams across the world remain deeply committed to serving delicious, chef-prepared meals to people with the dignity they deserve. As the climate-crisis worsens and disasters become not only larger, but more frequent, we’ll continue to be there—and we hope you’ll join us. As José likes to say, “everyone is a part of World Central Kitchen, they may just not know it yet!”.
Above information is from https://wck.org/story.
Visit www.wck.org for additional information, volunteer opportunities or to donate directly.
5FT View Consulting will donate 2% of profits each year to support Chef Andres' work and WCK.