Celebrity chef José Andrés’ aid group has sent 200 tons of food to Gaza. Who is he and what is World Central Kitchen?

Celeb chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen nonprofit have despatched help to Gaza, delivery virtually 200 tons of meals this week to Palestinians. The group shipped the meals from Cyprus on the Open Arms ship, which belongs to a Spanish nonprofit that helps susceptible individuals in emergency conditions.

Who’s José Andrés?

Andrés, 54, is a Spanish-born chef who moved to the U.S. years in the past to work in eating places in New York Metropolis and Washington, D.C. He helped open a number of eating places within the nation’s capitol after which created his personal eating places across the nation, together with Nubeluz, in New York Metropolis, and Jaleo by José Andrés, with areas in Washington, D.C., Orlando, Las Vegas, Chicago and Dubai.

Whereas working in D.C., Andrés volunteered at DC Central Kitchen, which repurposes meals within the metropolis to offer for these in want. This sparked his curiosity in philanthropy, and he based World Central Kitchen in 2010. Its first mission was delivering meals to Haiti.

What’s World Central Kitchen?

World Central Kitchen mobilizes first responders to convey meals to individuals effected by pure disasters, crises and humanitarian emergencies across the globe

“Deploying our mannequin of fast motion, leveraging native sources, and adapting in actual time, we all know {that a} nourishing meal in a time of disaster is a lot greater than a plate of meals — it is hope, it is dignity, and it is a signal that somebody cares,” the group’s web site reads.

The nonprofit not too long ago despatched meals to war-torn Ukraine, to Texas in the course of the wildfires, and to Japan following earthquakes. In the course of the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, they delivered meals to kids studying at dwelling, first responders and seniors who have been in danger.

The group additionally has a “Chef Corps” of cooks who use their native contacts to assist ship meals throughout crises of their areas. 

In April 2022, Andrés and his workforce have been on the bottom serving meals out of a restaurant in Kharkiv, Ukraine — the primary time he and his workforce operated in a warfare zone.

When a Russian missile struck close by, 4 individuals with World Central Kitchen have been injured. 

However the assault barely slowed their operation. “What occurred within the hours after was unbelievable,” Andrés advised “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent Tracy Smith. “When the proprietor of that restaurant requested all of the workforce members, ‘What do you wish to do?’ they mentioned, ‘We wanna hold cooking. We wanna hold preventing.'”

The group has supplied greater than 60 million meals to these in want.

Gaza help shipments

The U.N. has warned in regards to the imminent danger of famine in Gaza, a slim strip of land bordered by Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean, the place some 2.3 million Palestinians reside. With its borders closed and warfare raging, an estimated 1.7 million of Gaza’s individuals had been displaced as of Jan. 20, in accordance with the United Nations, with many having no entry to meals, water, drugs or applicable shelter.

Malnutrition and dehydration have gotten a rising a part of the humanitarian disaster.

President Biden introduced throughout his State of the Union tackle final week that the U.S. navy will assist create non permanent port on the Gaza coast to assist enhance the quantity of humanitarian help that may enter the realm.

World Central Kitchen labored with the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus to open a hall for the Open Arms ship to ship meals to Gaza. The group has collected 500 tons of meals, at present stationed in Cyprus, together with rice, flour, canned greens, protein and legumes. 

They named their mission Operation Safeena” which implies boat or vessel in Arabic, a consultant for World Central Kitchen advised CBS Information.

The primary World Central Kitchen boat left Cyprus on Wednesday and was situated simply off the coast of Gaza on Friday, the consultant mentioned. The cargo incorporates sufficient meals for nearly half one million meals.

They’re making ready about 300 tons of humanitarian meals help for a second journey to Gaza.

Since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants launched a terror assault in Israel which triggered the warfare, the group says it has despatched greater than 37 million meals and 1,500 vehicles to Gaza and in addition opened greater than 60 neighborhood kitchens within the space.

Additionally they airdropped meals from a Royal Jordanian Air Power cargo aircraft, and have up to now delivered 150,000 meals to Palestinians in Gaza, in accordance with a social media submit, in addition to offering 5,000 meals to households in Lebanon who have been displaced by the battle.

Earlier this month, the U.S. additionally started airdorpping help into Gaza. Egypt, France, the Netherlands and Belgium have additionally despatched help.

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