4/21/2020
Here in the Bay Area, the COVID-19 response from World Central Kitchen began in early March. When the Grand Princess cruise ship was under quarantine near San Francisco, in collaboration with Bon Appétit Management Company they fed thousands of stranded passengers for approximately one week while logistics were being figured out. By mid-March, WCK founder José Andrés transformed eight of his New York City and Washington, D.C. restaurants into soup kitchens to support customers affected by the pandemic.
This week, WCK passed 2 million meals served in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is continuing to expand their food relief operations in cities across America and in Spain. They are currently serving over 160,000 meals per day.
Its method of operations is to be a first responder and then to collaborate and galvanize solutions with local chefs to solve the problem of hunger. As part of its #ChefsForAmerica nationwide emergency food relief program, WCK is committing to purchasing 1 million meals from local restaurants, and delivering those meals directly to Americans that need assistance - to families, seniors, frontline healthcare workers & more.