June 2025 Donor Spotlights
Support from around the world helps ensure our Relief Team can act with urgency and serve meals to families impacted by disaster when and where they need them.
Tripadvisor’s Global Community In Action
Tripadvisor encompasses a powerful network of travelers who care deeply for the planet and the global community. In times of crisis, that spirit of connection transforms into meaningful action as Tripadvisor and the Tripadvisor Foundation inspires travelers everywhere to make a difference. By creating unique WCK donation pages for their community and their Foundation matching every contribution—sometimes tripling the impact—Tripadvisor has helped raise over $11 million for WCK since 2020, including more than $3 million in direct support from the Tripadvisor Foundation.
The power of community
Tripadvisor promotes WCK’s mission through emails, social channels, and their website, making it easy for travelers to get involved and give back. This partnership is rooted in our shared values – a commitment to local communities and a drive to take meaningful action.
Thanks to the generosity of Tripadvisor travelers and the match incentives the Tripadvisor Foundation provides, we are able to continue to provide meals and hope to people in some of their darkest moments.
Get Involved
Reach out to Tracy Ganti, Director of Corporation & Foundation Relations, at tganti@wck.org to learn how your organization can partner with WCK to create meaningful campaigns for your community.
From the Classroom to the Community
WCK’s work isn’t possible without our incredible network of donors, volunteers, and fundraisers – people who rally their communities to support our relief efforts. As a global organization, we are so grateful to have people from all over working hard to spread awareness and raise funds for WCK. One of the many ways that people have supported WCK is through annual events. Annual fundraising events are a great opportunity for community members to get together, utilize their talents, and support WCK’s mission.
Everyone is a part of World Central Kitchen, they may just not know it yet!
José Andrés
WCK Founder
7th grade Spanish students in Andrea Reynolds’ classes learned about chef José Andrés and WCK as part of their food unit. Inspired by WCK’s use of food trucks, they invited 808 Shave Ice, a local business run by former students, to bring their food truck to Rocky River Middle School to sell smoothies and slushies to benefit WCK. Since launching the fundraiser three years ago, the school has raised almost $11,000! The goal of the project is to teach kids to think globally but act locally, to work together to achieve a goal, and to take part in WCK’s mission to provide meals in times of crisis.
The Knit for Food (KFF) Knit-a-thon, a national event founded by knitwear designer Laura Nelkin, was born out of the desire to fight hunger and food insecurity one stitch at a time. Just as World Central Kitchen uses the power of food to heal communities and strengthen economies, the knitters of KFF use the power of their stitches to raise funds for hunger and food insecurity. Knit for Food is craftivism in its truest sense, an action that helps bring about positive change via personalized activism. In 2025, more than 1,200 knitters knit for 12 hours straight and raised $530,840, bringing their total donations to WCK to $445,000 over four years!
Get Involved
Reach out to Matt Tripsas, Director of Community Fundraising, at Matthew@wck.org to learn how you can bring your community together to support WCK or host a fundraising event.
Nourishing Hope: Brian and Leslie O’Toole’s WCK Journey
Meet Brian and Leslie O’Toole, longtime supporters whose dedication to World Central Kitchen reflects the power of compassion and community. Their story shines a light on the profound impact WCK’s mission has on people around the world.
What inspired you to support World Central Kitchen?
We were inspired by WCK’s commitment to feeding people no matter how dangerous the situation is. There is wonderful simplicity in the organization’s mission to feed people in every corner of the world, near or far, no matter what is going on around them.
Is there a specific WCK activation or story that has resonated with you?
Every single activation has been amazing to learn about in its own way. We have been floored to hear some of the logistics involved in getting people and supplies to remote places, but it is also incredible to see the work that WCK has done in the United States.
What does giving back mean to you?
Giving back is incredibly important to us and to our family foundation because we have been so fortunate to receive support and assistance from others in our own lives. We hope to give back to others to continue that cycle of caring and hopefully lead to more giving down the line.
If you could describe WCK’s impact in one word, what would it be?
Nourishment.
Anything else you’d like to share?
We are incredibly proud to support WCK. While we wish its work wasn’t so needed, we plan to support the organization’s amazing work for years to come.
