By Evan Cameron | Associate, Development Writing
Founded in 2010 by Chef Jose Andres, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is first to the frontlines providing fresh meals in response to crises. Applying our model of quick action, leveraging local resources, and adapting in real time, WCK has served more than 450 million nourishing meals around the world.
Last October, a weather phenomenon, known locally in Spain as DANA, created a destructive storm system that brought more than a year's worth of rain in just hours in parts of Valencia. The ensuing flash flooding was catastrophic—people had little time to react as rivers overflowed into streets and swept into homes and businesses. This resulted in an extremely dangerous situation, with food and water an acute need among impacted communities in eastern Spain. WCK teams arrived in Valencia quickly, ready to distribute sandwiches and assess food needs throughout the region.
Establishing Kitchens: Upon their arrival in Spain, WCK’s Relief Team identified and secured kitchens from which to prepare thousands of meals daily for families impacted by the extreme flooding. Our first two kitchens included a hot/cold sandwich facility, from which our team—alongside the members of the incredible local community—prepared up to 15,000 fresh sandwiches daily. We also established a second kitchen to reheat premade stews with Rational ovens. In November, WCK constructed a large-scale Field Kitchen in the old Valencia Port area. We turned this location into a high-functioning kitchen facility in less than a week, which allowed us to scale operations up to 60,000 meals per day while also minimizing delivery time to impacted communities. The old Valencia Port Kitchen included WCK’s Food Truck from Ukraine, along with paella pans for traditional paellas and fideuàs, and huge pans used for cooking delicious stews and soups.
In total, WCK prepared nearly 500,000 hot meals and 275,000 sandwiches from our kitchens.
Restaurant Partners: In addition to our kitchens, WCK partnered with local restaurants and chefs in Spain to provide warm, comforting meals to families impacted by the flooding. Paiporta, a municipality of about 28,000 people, experienced the worst of the flooding in the Valencia area. Residents worked hard to manage the damage and restore road access, and WCK-partnered food trucks provided sandwiches, water, and fruit. We set up numerous meal distribution sites to ensure we served hot meals to as many people as possible. In nearby Picanya, we had four meal distribution points in the hard-hit town. A chef at El Poblet restaurant, Luis, is a resident of Picanya, and he immediately jumped in to help support his community. Luis led the preparation of paella for 500 residents and volunteers, saying "Paella is a dish that unites Valencians, we eat it every day, in moments of celebration and it is something that makes people happy." Our local partners helped ensure anyone in need of a fresh meal received one.
In total, WCK partnered with 35+ local restaurants from Valencia, Alicante, Murcia and Albacete. Together, we prepared nearly 525,000 hot meals and more than 50,000 sandwiches.
Launching Free Grocery Program: WCK also addressed Valencia’s immediate food needs through innovative programs. Our free produce initiative provided fresh vegetables, fruits, and proteins to families able to cook for themselves. We distributed boxes containing 35 pounds of fresh food—enough to last a family of four for a week. Tens of thousands of these boxes were distributed across the region. Additionally, by paying local businesses to supply this food, WCK supported economic recovery while ensuring access to nourishing ingredients. We partnered with over 20 small businesses, including bakeries, fruits and vegetable shops, fish shops, and churros and horchata businesses. In total, WCK distributed more than 1.8 million kg of product.
Working side by side with chefs, restaurant partners, community organizations, and hundreds of volunteers, WCK served nearly 6.3 million meals to populations impacted by the flooding. We reached communities in need by establishing three kitchens, partnering with local chefs, and launching a free grocery program. We are grateful for your support, which made all of these efforts possible! Looking ahead, WCK will continue to respond to extreme weather-related crises through our Climate Disaster Fund.
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