MEMBERS OF THE CHESTER COUNTY PEACE MOVEMENT COLLECT DONATIONS FOR THE WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2024 IN WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, USA
ABOUT THE WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
WCK is first to the frontlines, providing fresh meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
WCK’s work is guided by our belief that food is a universal human right. Both in the communities we serve and in our daily workspace, we uphold and rely on our values to direct us toward fulfilling our shared purpose.
Food is essential to life every single day, all over the world—and it is more important than ever in a crisis. Not only is a thoughtful, freshly prepared meal one less thing someone has to worry about in the wake of a disaster, it is a reminder that you are not alone, someone is thinking about you, and someone cares. Food has the power to be the nourishment and hope we need to pick ourselves back up in the darkest times.
In 2010, Chef José Andrés, ready to use his culinary knowledge and talent to help, headed to Haiti following a devastating earthquake. Cooking alongside displaced families in a camp, he was guided on the proper way to cook black beans the way Haitians like to eat them: mashed and sieved into a creamy sauce. It wasn’t just about feeding people in need—it was about listening, learning, and cooking side by side with the people impacted by the crisis. This is the real meaning of comfort food, and it’s the core value that José, along with his wife Patricia, used at the center of founding World Central Kitchen.
Vision: The WCK Way
WCK has learned a lot about our potential over the years. We’ve seen our model work in a myriad of disasters and crises and we have quickly become a leading organization in food relief. We have accomplished this by wholeheartedly embracing what makes us unique – this is what we call “the WCK Way”:
WCK shows up when others can’t or won’t. We err on the side of feeding people expediently vs. asking for permission or following systems and bureaucracy that lack urgency and flexibility.
WCK is a frontline force that shows up with the fierce urgency of now. We are “911 for food relief.”
WCK hires locally and buys locally as much as possible. We tap into and fuel the courage and tenacity of people and businesses in the affected community. There is no greater force for good than a neighbor helping a neighbor. And there is no greater intel than a neighbor advising WCK on local needs.
Communities are our superpower. WCK shifts local communities from secondary players to active architects and actors of a more inclusive and ambitious mission. This unique, multi-participant approach transforms the geographic, cultural, and emergency-related challenges of any activation into an opportunity for a faster, more decisive response. It’s an approach that has, and will continue, to allow us to engage a larger and untapped pool of talent. This local connection ensures that our response understands, tastes like, looks like, and speaks like the communities we serve. This fosters a diverse collective where feeding becomes a shared responsibility and passion.
WCK operates in challenging environments, and we will continue to do so. We operate with an “embrace chaos mindset” vs a “peace-time mindset.” Decisions made at any given point during the disaster are the right decisions, with the knowledge at that time. We embrace this thinking and adapt quickly as needed.
WCK does not respond to a set list of disasters or crises. We show up when food access has been disrupted. Our model has worked following a grocery store shooting in Buffalo, NY, a global pandemic, hurricanes, war in Ukraine, etc. We feed people – and when an emergency disrupts access to food, we will be there.
WCK is entrepreneurial and adaptive at tackling predictable and unpredictable situations. WCK will be fearless through successes and failures; move with urgency; remain nimble in our mindset and our systems & structures, creating a fluid environment that can support a growing, evolving organization; and be relentless to the point that we overcome barriers and embody resilience in everything we do.
Each activation is a catalyst for future growth. We learn from adversity and from the communities we serve. The best plan is the plan to adapt – we develop emergent strategies in real time based on situational needs. “Listen to the disaster and it will speak to you.” – José Andrés
DECEMBER 5, 2024 UPDATE
WCK’s Gaza Team Resumes Cooking
We resumed cooking at WCK’s southern and central Gaza kitchens today. Our team is eager to get back to work, preparing nourishing meals for displaced families in camps and medical facilities. Our work was paused following an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle carrying WCK colleagues on November 30.