World Central Kitchen responds to catastrophes.
The international relief organization, which provides food to both victims and first responders of humanitarian disasters around the world, announced on Monday that seven aid workers working in Gaza were killed in an Israeli airstrike. , he was unwillingly thrust into the tragic spotlight.
The victims included dual U.S. and Canadian citizens, team members from Poland, Britain and Australia, and a Palestinian driver.
Spanish-American celebrity chef and WCK founder José Andres called the victims “angels” and called on the Israeli government to “stop this indiscriminate killing.”
Following the deadly attack, WCK has suspended operations of the 68 “community kitchens” it had operated in Gaza over the past six months. The organization says it has provided more than 43 million meals to Palestinians during that time.
A man carries boxes of food aid provided by World Central Kitchen in Rafah, Gaza, last month.Mohamed Abed/AFP from Getty Images File
Before the deadly attack, WCK was one of the main food suppliers to the warring Gaza Strip.
In an update on March 29, the U.S.-based non-profit organization dispatched 1,700 trucks loaded with food and cooking equipment to local kitchens, and many more loaded with desperately needed supplies. He said trucks were trickling into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing.
WCK said it also sought the cooperation of the Jordanian Air Force to drop food in the Gaza Strip, particularly in remote areas that cannot be reached by truck convoys.
And just last month, WCK took the bold step of building a pier out of rubble to allow supply ships to deliver aid from Cyprus to Gaza.
The New York Times reported that WCK did so with the OK from the Israeli military.
“WCK does not advance a political agenda and we have no intention of replacing other organizations in Gaza, despite reports and claims suggesting otherwise,” the group claimed.
Monday is not the first time WCK workers have come under fire. Last year, a kitchen in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was attacked by a Russian missile, injuring four employees.
Founded in 2010, the charity's beliefs are detailed on its website:
“Food is an essential part of everyday life around the world, and in times of crisis it's more important than ever. A thoughtfully prepared, freshly prepared meal not only gives you one less thing to worry about after a disaster; is a reminder that you are not alone.”
Andres and his wife Patricia first put those words into action in 2010, in the aftermath of Haiti's devastating earthquake that killed thousands and left tens of thousands more starving.
Jose Andres unloads humanitarian food packages from the World Central Kitchen in Kherson, Ukraine, on November 15, 2022.Efrem Lukatsky/AP File
Working with local chefs and food providers, Andres' team set up kitchens across the devastated country to prepare and serve Haitian “comfort dishes” such as black beans in a creamy sauce. .
Since then, WCK has organized food relief operations in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Zambia, Peru, Cuba, Uganda, Bahamas, Cambodia, and Ukraine during both man-made and natural disasters.
WCK made its U.S. debut in August 2017 by working with the American Red Cross to provide thousands of meals to survivors of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
The following month, WCK led some of the disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. And later that year, WCK provided food to firefighters and families evacuated by the massive Thomas Fire in Southern California.
During the pandemic, WCK also set up soup kitchens in New York City, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.
