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, transport 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 folks 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 places 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 supply 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 carry meals to folks effected by pure disasters, crises and humanitarian emergencies across the globe

“Deploying our mannequin of fast motion, leveraging native assets, 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 lately sent food to war-torn Ukraine, to Texas throughout the wildfires, and to Japan following earthquakes. Throughout the top of the COVID-19 pandemic, they delivered meals to kids studying at house, first responders and seniors who had 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 staff had been on the bottom serving meals out of a restaurant in Kharkiv, Ukraine — the primary time he and his staff operated in a conflict zone.

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

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

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

Gaza help shipments

The U.N. has warned concerning the imminent risk of famine in Gaza, a slim strip of land bordered by Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean, the place some 2.3 million Palestinians stay. With its borders closed and conflict raging, an estimated 1.7 million of Gaza’s folks had been displaced as of Jan. 20, in line 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 crisis.

President Biden introduced throughout his State of the Union tackle final week that the U.S. military will help create temporary port on the Gaza coast to assist improve 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, presently 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 instructed CBS Information.

The primary World Central Kitchen boat left Cyprus on Wednesday and was arrived in Gaza on Friday, the consultant stated. The cargo comprises sufficient meals for nearly half one million meals.

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

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

Additionally they airdropped meals from a Royal Jordanian Air Pressure cargo airplane, and have to this point delivered 150,000 meals to Palestinians in Gaza, in line with a social media submit, in addition to offering 5,000 meals to households in Lebanon who had been displaced by the battle.

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

Caitlin O’Kane

Caitlin O’Kane is a New York Metropolis journalist who works on the CBS Information social media staff as a senior supervisor of content material and manufacturing. She writes about quite a lot of matters and produces “The Uplift,” CBS Information’ streaming present that focuses on excellent news.