Nobel Peace Prize-nominated chef and philanthropist José Andrés and his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, sprang into action to make sure vulnerable communities and front-line workers have enough to eat during the pandemic. World Central Kitchen is currently set up at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn feeding the staff with food trucks, and it delivered meals to farmworkers affected by the pandemic in California. The organization also headed to Midland, Michigan, where volunteers are serving meals to displaced people living in shelters following devastating floods in the region. Now, the nonprofit plans to extend its efforts even further.
Photo: World Central Kitchen/Facebook
José Andrés Is Tirelessly Feeding Vulnerable Communities During Lockdown
On a recent tour of Chicago, Eater reports, Andrés announced that World Central Kitchen would be setting up 15 locations for people to pick up meals. He also mentioned that he’s moving forward with opening restaurant projects in the works in Chicago.
WWTW news reports that the newly established testing sites in Latino communities are among the places World Central Kitchen plans to set up shop. The sites are run by CORE, a nonprofit funded by Sean Penn, who accompanied Andrés on part of his Chicago tour.
In Detroit, World Central Kitchen partnered with the senior pastor of Triumph Church Detroit Solomon Kinloch and Senator Ian Conyers to provide meals to anyone affected by the pandemic — so far they’ve served 5,000 meals.
Detroit restaurants are working with another arm of World Central Kitchen called Chefs for America, which provides grants to closed restaurants if they open up their kitchens to prepare ready-to-eat meals to front-line workers and other food-insecure communities. Not only do the restaurants get funds to help them stay afloat during the pandemic, but it provides employment to laid-off workers in desperate need of an income.
World Central Kitchen’s tireless efforts to feed America at a time when buying groceries has become a burden for furloughed or laid-off workers is a testament to the power that good people can do in a time of unprecedented crisis. No should have to go hungry — and, thanks to Andrés, many people that might have won’t. 