By Leslie Brenner
There’s probably no person in the food world today who’s more important than José Andrés. Sure, his restaurants are wonderful and have had wide influence. But that’s not why. Andrés is a superhero for his work with his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen.
And so are those who regularly put themselves in harm’s way, working alongside Andrés in hotspots around the world, wherever violent conflict or natural disasters create situations where people need food. On Monday, these philanthropic activities proved fatal to seven aid workers for the organization, people who were risking their lives to deliver desperately needed food for people in Gaza.
In an opinion piece in today’s New York Times, here’s how Andrés himself put it:
“Their work was based on the simple belief that food is a universal human right. It is not conditional on being good or bad, rich or poor, left or right. We do not ask what religion you belong to. We just ask how many meals you need.”
As you know if you’ve been reading Cooks Without Borders for any length of time, we’ve long supported WCK with frequent fundraisers. Since our first one two years ago — our Cook for Ukraine Pop-Up — Cooks Without Borders has helped raised more than $10,000 for WCK. I was about to publish a review of Andrés’ new cookbook, Zaytinya. But instead, following Monday’s tragedy, it’s time first for another fundraiser.
To participate, purchase our e-cookbook, 21 Favorite Recipes from Cooks Without Borders. Normally $7, the book is on sale for just $5 per copy; we’ll donate every penny we collect* to WCK. Not as exciting as Zaytinya, maybe, but our heart’s in the right place! And the Zaytinya review will be up next.
About World Central Kitchen
Chef Andrés founded World Central Kitchen based on the idea that “when people are hungry, send in cooks. Not tomorrow, today.” The nonprofit organization makes sure there is always a warm meal, an encouraging word, and a helping hand in hard times.
When disaster strikes, WCK’s Chef Relief Team mobilizes to the front lines with the urgency of now to start cooking and provide meals to people in need. WCK’s resilience work advances human and environmental health, offers access to professional culinary training, creates jobs, and improves food security for the people it serves.
WCK has provided hundreds of millions of fresh, nourishing meals for communities around the world. Your donation today will be used to support its emergency food relief efforts and resilience programs.
Want to do more?
We have set up a fundraising page through World Central Kitchen. Please join me there in making a separate contribution in any amount to help us reach our modest goal of raising $1,000 by the end of November. I’ve kicked off the campaign with my own donation. (Once our e-cookbook purchases start rolling in, I’ll contribute the proceeds through that page, so you’ll be able to see the progress on that front as well.)
Thank you so much for joining me in supporting WCK! Please pass on this pop-up invitation to friends who will want to help feed people in strife around the world.
*45 cents of each e-book purchase will be retained by Stripe for processing. We will donate the full $4.55 we collect on each purchase to WCK.