José Andrés And World Central Kitchen Come To Aid In Turkey
Just two days after the devastating Kahramanmaras earthquake in Turkey, aid organizations from around the world are beginning to arrive in the country according to TIME. The 7.8 magnitude quake hit near the Turkish town Gaziantep, leaving over 11,000 people dead, per BBC. The surrounding countries of Syria and Cyprus were also affected by the natural disaster.
Shortly after news of the earthquake broke in the U.S., chef José Andrés took to his Twitter page to announce that he and his World Central Kitchen team were already looking into what they could to do help those affected. "As we speak @WCKitchen team is looking into activation #ChefsForTurkey," Andrés tweeted to his followers.
Shortly after making his announcement, Food Tank reported that the chef was en route to the Turkish capital to begin providing warm meals to those affected by the disaster. With a total of ten Turkish provinces affected by the earthquake, the prospect of a nutritious meal will no be highly appreciated by victims and aid workers alike.
World Central Kitchen has a track record of giving back
José Andrés' World Central Kitchen is joined on the ground by a number of different food based organizations including the World Food Programme, the Turkish Red Crescent, and a student led food distribution program (via Food Tank).
Upon his arrival in Turkey, Andrés has continued to update his fans via Twitter about the World Central Kitchen team's activities in the country. According to Andrés, he and his team immediately got busy following their 3:00 am arrival providing delicious kebabs to residents staying at shelter in the city of Adana.
World Central Kitchen has a long history of providing emergency aid following its founding in 2010. The charity has provided 25 million meals to those in need and continues to mobilize chefs from around the world to disaster sites. Most recently, World Central Kitchen brought aid to the people of Ukraine by bringing meals to those in regions most affected by the war. Chef Andrés efforts are an important part of providing comfort to those in need.