Spain Honors WCK work with Grand Cross of Naval Merit
World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés was awarded Spain’s Grand Cross of Naval Merit for his work through the organization to support communities impacted by crises. The ceremony also served as a tribute to the seven WCK team members killed in Gaza on April 1.
WCK was founded in 2010 after José visited Haiti following a devastating earthquake. Cooking alongside displaced families in a camp, he learned that listening, learning, and cooking side by side with the local community were key to supporting people in need of comfort. These core values laid the foundation for the organization’s future. Since then, our teams have served more than 350 million meals in response to natural, community, and humanitarian crises.
Our teams are currently on the ground supporting families impacted by conflict and unrest in Gaza, Ukraine, and Haiti.
WCK resumed operations in Gaza on April 29 after pausing due to the tragic killing of seven team members in an IDF strike. Since first responding to the conflict, we have distributed more than 46 million meals to displaced Palestinians.
In Ukraine, our teams have served more than 260 million meals while constantly adapting to meet the changing needs of families enduring Russian occupation.
Through our partners in Haiti, we have served more than 700,000 meals to people who have lost access to food as a result of widespread violence and unrest.
José’s ties to the Spanish Navy date back to his late teens when he cooked aboard a training ship as part of his compulsory military service.
Photo by Iñaki Gómez/MDE
