# World Central Kitchen

> World Central Kitchen is a nonprofit founded in 2010 by chef Jose Andres that shows up fast after disasters with hot, freshly cooked meals. Instead of trucking in shelf-stable rations, WCK hires local restaurants, food trucks, and cooks to prepare culturally familiar food where the crisis is happening, turning a relief operation into an economic lifeline for the community it serves. It has delivered more than 500 million meals across earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, and conflict zones from Haiti to Ukraine to Gaza to the Los Angeles fires.

- **Founded:** 2010
- **Headquarters:** Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- **Founders:** Jose Andres (Founder & Chief Feeding Officer)
- **Team size:** ~520 employees, plus a Chef Corps of 450+ culinary leaders and thousands of local partners and volunteers
- **Products:** Emergency Food Relief, Chef Corps, Chefs for Ukraine / Chefs for Gaza, Climate & Natural Disaster Fund, Food Producer Network
- **Notable:** Served more than 500 million meals worldwide since 2010, Delivered 130 million meals in 2025 and 121 million in 2024, Responded in 60+ countries including Haiti, Puerto Rico, Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Syria, and the United States

## Products & services

- **Emergency Food Relief** — Rapid deployment of freshly cooked meals within hours of a disaster, produced through local restaurants, food trucks, and community kitchens.
- **Chef Corps** — A global network of 450+ culinary leaders who mobilize and lead kitchens during crises.
- **Chefs for Ukraine / Chefs for Gaza** — Named conflict-zone responses feeding displaced people across Ukraine and Gaza through partner kitchens.
- **Climate & Natural Disaster Fund** — A dedicated funding vehicle that lets WCK pre-position and respond quickly to climate-driven disasters.
- **Food Producer Network** — Support for local farmers, fishers, and small food businesses to strengthen food economies and build resilience in disaster-prone regions.
- **Resilience Programs** — Culinary training, jobs, and food-security initiatives that help communities prepare for and recover from future crises.

## Achievements

- Served more than 500 million meals worldwide since 2010
- Delivered 130 million meals in 2025 and 121 million in 2024
- Responded in 60+ countries including Haiti, Puerto Rico, Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Syria, and the United States
- Founder Jose Andres received the 2021 Princess of Asturias Award for Concord
- Jose Andres nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize
- Consistently high charity-efficiency ratings, with ~90% of spending on programs

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Responding to the Spokane-area complex fires, serving 16,000+ meals in the first week.
- **2026-07** — Scaled earthquake response across Venezuela (Miranda, La Guaira, Carabobo) with 19 local restaurant and community partners.
- **2026-06** — Active responses to wildfires in Spain and France and the Fuego volcano eruption in Guatemala.
- **2025-01** — Deployed across the Los Angeles wildfires; crossed 500 million meals served worldwide during 2025.

## Links

- Website: https://wck.org
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/world-central-kitchen
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/WCKitchen
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WCKitchen
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wck.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wckitchen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldCentralKitchen/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wckitchen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/world-central-kitchen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13