World Central Kitchen (WCK), founded by DC-based celebrity chef José Andrés, has provided around 440,000 meals for those in need in partnership with the Nationals over the past two and a half months.
Known for distributing free meals in natural disaster areas, WCK is now acting in response to the coronavirus pandemic, serving in 309 cities in 34 US states and territories, as well as 36 towns and cities in Spain.
WCK collaborates with local restaurants in many areas. In DC, Chef Mollie Moore, who used to work at upscale restaurants, and her team are responsible for cooking the meals.
They prepare thousands of hot and cold meals every day for the needy, including people experiencing homelessness in the DC area such as Langley Park in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
“Some chefs won’t do that number in their career, let alone three months,” Moore told the Washington City Paper.
100,000 Americans dead…100 days @WCKitchen has been responding & 10 Million fresh meals served thanks to hard work of thousands with your support of #ChefsForAmerica. We The People must keep taking care of each other…and for now that means wearing a mask around others! 😷 pic.twitter.com/79eiATKwSB
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) May 28, 2020
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser recently selected Andrés along with another restaurateur, Andy Shallal, for a committee that is tasked with planning how to reopen the District of Columbia as it recovers from the coronavirus crisis.
When the COVID-19 outbreak first hit the DC region in March, Andrés shut down all of his restaurants in the area and turned some of them into community kitchens for underserved individuals in response to the spread of the disease.
Andrés’ team WCK team traveled to Japan in February to provide food to the people who were quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
In September 2019, the Spanish-American chef provided more than 100,000 free meals for Bahamians, who survived the Hurricane Dorian, as well as residents of the Carolinas and Florida.
He also opened a kitchen in D.C. to serve cooked meals free of charge for federal workers and their families during the government shutdown in January 2019.
In January, the celebrity chef helped victims of two earthquakes that shook Puerto Rico.
José Andrés and Andy Shallal Join Committee to Reopen DC Restaurants