FIRST ALERT: WCK relief team en route to Winnipeg amid devastating wildfires in Canada

In 2010, a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Chef José Andrés traveled to the country to see how he could use his culinary experience to support impacted communities. What he saw and heard inspired him to rethink how food could be a powerful tool to nourish families after crises, rebuild communities, and create sustainable solutions. The eye-opening trip would become the origin of World Central Kitchen.

More than 200,000 people died in the earthquake, which also displaced millions and left countless Haitians in desperate need of food and aid. In the aftermath, José listened to the local community and began organizing efforts to provide nourishing, culturally appropriate meals to people in need, recognizing that food is more than sustenance—it’s a plate of hope on our darkest days. 

15 Years of Impact: A Mission Born in Haiti

“Shortly after the earthquake I arrived in Haiti to see how chefs like me could put our skills to the service of others,” José said, recalling his time in Haiti. “From there, WCK was born. 15 years later we have cooked and served alongside the people of the world in their most difficult moments.”

WCK has developed a distinctive, community-first approach to food aid. Our model, rooted in our Haiti origins, provides nourishing meals immediately after disaster strikes while simultaneously supporting local economies to kickstart recovery. Since 2010, we have served more than 450 million meals worldwide. 

In the years immediately following the earthquake in Haiti, WCK focused on impactful culinary training and clean cooking programs whose results are still felt today. But in 2017, when Hurricane Harvey struck Houston, WCK took swift action, preparing meals on the ground. A month later, Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico. José flew to San Juan, began cooking sancocho in a small kitchen, and quickly built a network of chefs, food trucks, and volunteers—launching #ChefsForPuertoRico.

Since then, WCK has responded to hundreds of crises worldwide, from natural disasters to humanitarian emergencies. We’ve served meals to Ukrainian families impacted by war, Palestinians displaced in Gaza, hospital staff during COVID-19, and communities affected by climate-driven disasters on six continents. Wherever we go, WCK empowers the local community to lead the way, showing how the best of humanity emerges in the worst of times.

WCK has maintained a deep connection with Haiti. We have responded to natural disasters, food insecurity, and other crises in the country, always focusing on the needs of impacted communities. The network we built over the years allows us to respond immediately.

Haiti’s story is one of resilience, and WCK remains committed to standing alongside its people. What began as an urgent response to disaster has evolved into a global mission to be first to the frontlines when disaster strikes, ensuring nourishing meals reach people in need. 

“When we go into a community, we never tell them, ‘This is what you need to eat, this is what you want.’ Instead we come with open ears and a deep hunger to learn from them,” José said recalling what he learned in Haiti. 

For WCK, Haiti isn’t just a place where we work—it’s where our mission to use the power of food to heal and strengthen communities truly began. We have learned to adapt and build responses unique to each situation and location, always remaining deeply committed to serving delicious, chef-prepared meals to people with dignity.

As disasters increase in frequency and intensity, we’ll continue to be there—and we hope you’ll join us. As José likes to say:“Everyone is a part of World Central Kitchen, they may just not know it yet!” 

More About WCK's Work in Haiti

Since March, WCK has worked alongside NGO partners @HASHaiti and @COREresponse to provide meals to families in Haiti impacted by unrest. We distributed more than 750,000 warm, nourishing meals and 7,430 meal kits with fresh produce and dry goods to communities in need. Our efforts focused on supporting displaced families and children who are at risk of malnourishment.

[Tweet] 8.6 Haiti

World Central Kitchen and our partners first responded to widespread unrest and violence in Haiti eight weeks ago. Since then, we have served more than 700,000 meals to families who have lost access to food. The situation remains dire for countless people and our teams are adapting our efforts to ensure we reach all pockets of need.

Gangs continue to control Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. They have blocked many of the ports where food comes into the nation, leading to increasing food insecurity and shortages. Even before this recent escalation, nearly half of all Haitians relied on regular humanitarian aid due to ongoing political crises, gang violence, and ensuing resource insecurity in the country. Despite it all, Haitians have donned WCK gear and are working alongside our partners in the country to take care of and provide for their communities.

WCK & partners serve 700,000 meals in Haiti

Our team scaled our efforts quickly by partnering with Hospital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) to establish a wide network of community kitchens. Most of these kitchens are run by incredible, entrepreneurial women who are experienced food vendors and whose businesses have suffered since the country's violent upheaval. With WCK’s support, they are once again able to cook for and serve their communities while supporting themselves and their families.

Our fellow nonprofit, CORE, has also worked with us to provide 400,000 meals in the form of food kits, so people who still have the means can cook for themselves.

The situation in Haiti remains unpredictable. We are in constant communication with our partners on the ground to see how we can best support their staff and our collective mission of providing food. With international forces mobilizing to restore peace in Haiti, it is difficult to say what the coming weeks will look like. Our team and partners remain ready to continue to support Haitian families impacted by the crisis.

Stay up to date with the latest information on this and our other responses around the world by following us on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

Help us continue supporting families in Haiti.

WCK and @HASHaiti are serving meals at a Port-au-Prince camp for people who have been displaced in the Haitian capital as a result of ongoing violence. In addition to providing meals, our team repaired bathroom facilities and restored the camp’s water supply. #ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 3.31

WCK and @HASHaiti are supporting community kitchens in Haiti led by women who own food stalls in the area. The ongoing unrest makes it a challenge to run their businesses. To support them, communities, and the economy, we’re paying them to provide meals for free.
#ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 3.24

WCK and @HASHaiti have been providing nourishing meals to Haitians impacted by widespread violence and instability for more than six weeks. Through a network of 23 locally-run community kitchens, we have served more than 500,000 plates of food to families in need. #ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 5.2

WCK, alongside @HASHaiti, is providing more than 6,500 meals daily to families throughout Artibonite. Children bear the brunt of the ongoing unrest and account for over half of recipients at our meal sites. We’re ensuring they get the nourishing food they need. #ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 3.25

WCK & @HASHaiti community kitchens are scaling quickly & cooking almost 18,000 meals daily for Haitians impacted by unrest. Many children are out of school where they would receive a free meal so food like this veggie stew with rice & beans offers a lifeline. #ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 3.28

WCK is working alongside @HASHaiti in Haiti amid ongoing unrest to provide meals to people in health centers & displaced families in makeshift camps. Through a network of community kitchens, we’re preparing comforting meals like this beef stew. #ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 3.22

Meet Virgine, one of the many Haitian women leading the WCK and @HASHaiti community kitchens. Since first responding to the ongoing unrest, our teams have served more than 50,000 nourishing meals to displaced families and communities that have lost access to food. #ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 3.26

In addition to cooking hundreds of thousands of meals at WCK-supported community kitchens, we worked alongside @COREresponse to distribute food kits to Haitians impacted by unrest. We provided 400,000 meals through these kits to families able to cook for themselves. #ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 5.6

WCK’s team met Linda while assessing food needs in Port-au-Prince. She is one of countless street food vendors whose business was disrupted by ongoing unrest in Haiti. Today, she is one of the many vendors we are paying to provide free meals to displaced families. #ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 4.1

World Central Kitchen is working with local organizations on the ground in Haiti to provide meals to communities impacted by ongoing unrest. Alongside healthcare and NGO partners, we are establishing a distribution system to support hospitals and displaced families.  

Social and political unrest has escalated over the past months, compounding an existing humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Now, violence is widespread in Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital, and thousands of people have been displaced in recent weeks. 

We are supporting our longtime local partner Hospital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) and their staff. “Not only will we be feeding daily hot meals to people who are approaching starvation,” said HAS CEO and WCK Board Member, Jean Marc de Matteis, “ but the ingredients for the meals are sourced from local farmers and providers to help support the local economy in Artibonite, which has been devastated by the chaos.”

WCK’s origins trace back to Haiti when José cooked alongside displaced families following the devastating 2010 earthquake. Since then, we have responded to four crises in the country, including a hurricane, earthquake, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

This remains a quickly evolving situation. Our Relief Team is supporting local institutions to provide as many meals as possible to Haitians in need. You can sign up to our newsletter to receive more information and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for real time updates.

First Alert: WCK & local partners support Haitians amid widespread unrest

[News] First Alert: WCK & local partners support Haitians amid widespread unrest

WCK, alongside local partners, is providing meals to families in Haiti that lost access to food due to ongoing unrest. We’ve served hundreds of meals at a hospital and are sourcing from local farmers to support the economy. Read more: http://wck.org/news/first-alert-haiti #ChefsForHaiti

[Tweet] Haiti 3.19

World Central Kitchen and our partners on the ground in Haiti served our first plates of food to families impacted by ongoing unrest just over a week ago. Since then, we have established a network of kitchens to support displaced families and other vulnerable populations impacted by the violence that has gripped the nation. Alongside Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) and Health through Walls, we have provided more than 50,000 meals.

Social and political unrest in Haiti has escalated over the past months, compounding an existing humanitarian crisis. Now, gang violence is widespread in Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital. Thousands of families have been displaced across the country and supply chain disruptions have left highly vulnerable communities without reliable access to food. 

Our team first responded to the crisis alongside HAS, a trusted partner helmed by WCK board member Jean Marc deMatteis, in mid March. We began cooking for patients in healthcare facilities and established a network of community kitchens to support families throughout the Artibonite region. 

In one week, we built a network of 12 WCK-HAS community kitchens that are quickly scaling to cook almost 10,000 meals daily. Our teams on the ground are seeing children bear the brunt of the unrest and noted that they account for more than half of meal recipients at meal distribution sites.

WCK establishes kitchens across Haiti amid unrest

As we always do, WCK is working shoulder to shoulder with the communities we serve to ensure people get the support they need. To boost the local economy, we are sourcing ingredients from local farms and have employed woman food vendors to lead our kitchens. The ongoing crisis makes it a challenge for these women to run their food businesses. So, we are paying them to provide meals for free. They are cooking nourishing local favorites like rice with bean purée and vegetable stew.

This network of community kitchens allows us to reach rural, mountainous communities. At the same time, we are working to establish a kitchen in Port-au-Prince where the worst of the violence is occurring. 

This remains a quickly evolving situation. Our Relief Team and our partners are working to identify more pockets of need. You can sign up to our newsletter to receive more information and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for real time updates.

It’s been 1 year since Haiti was struck by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that killed over 2,200 people & destroyed 135,000+ homes. WCK’s deep roots in Haiti—since José first began working there after the devastating 2010 earthquake—allowed our team to begin cooking immediately.

[Tweet] Haiti Aug 2021 Earthquake 8.14

WCK’s roots began in Haiti in 2010 when the country was hit by a devastating earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people. Following a trip to see how he could help, José founded World Central Kitchen with the belief that food can be a positive agent of change for communities in need. 

Educating a new generation of Haitian chefs

To advance this vision, in 2015, WCK partnered with the Haitian Department of Education to create a professional culinary arts training program. After two years of growth, the program evolved into École des Chefs—WCK’s own culinary school in Port-au-Prince. The school—featuring a world-class, professional kitchen and full dining room for training and hosting of events—quickly became the country’s premier culinary training institution.

The École des Chefs curriculum focused on hands-on training under the tutelage of one of the most respected chefs in Haiti, Mi-sol Chevallier.

The school played a central role in WCK’s emergency response to the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that shook Haiti in August 2021. Chef Mi-sol, alongside École des Chefs students and graduates, transformed the school into a WCK Relief Kitchen and worked together to serve nourishing meals to impacted communities within the first 24 hours. The team went on to cook thousands of meals from this kitchen.

WCK | Earthquake Response in Haiti

Together, Chef Mi-sol & WCK created a successful model for culinary education that graduated more than 180 chefs. Building on this success, the school is now launching as an independent organization called Atelier des Chefs—French for “chef’s workshop”.

The school remains an industry leader preparing the next generation of chefs for jobs in Haiti’s top commercial kitchens.  

Atelier des Chefs stands ready to act as an emergency relief kitchen if the need ever arises again. Please contact Atelier des Chefs for any inquiries regarding the school.

Educating the next generation of Haitian chefs

Congrats to the latest graduates from École des Chefs—WCK’s culinary school in Haiti. To celebrate, current students prepared a buffet for the graduates embarking on careers at the country’s top restaurants. They join hundreds of chefs that have completed the program since 2017.

[Tweet] EDC 5.24

Students at WCK’s culinary school in Haiti recently got a visit from master baker Manfred Schmidtke who led a challah baking class with ingredients provided by Epi D'or. The aspiring chefs prepared a paella lunch to thank Chef Manfred and Epidor for their consistent support.

[Tweet] EDC Epi D'or

Students at École des Chefs—WCK’s culinary school in Haiti—hosted an amazing dinner banquet last week. Throughout the semester, these aspiring chefs are put through the test of hosting banquets to hone their catering skills ahead of jobs at the country’s top hotels.