Chef Jose Andres wasted little time in getting to Houston when historic flooding struck in August, crippling the city. He was on the ground, organizing efforts to feed as many people as possible. Now, as Puerto Rico struggles to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, he’s once again relocated to a disaster area to help feed those displaced by the storm.
The scale of the devastation for Puerto Ricans remains profound: 93 percent of the island doesn’t have power, only 45 percent of people have potable water, and cell service is down for 88 percent of the island.
Through his charity World Central Kitchen—which he created after the 2010 Haitian earthquake—Andrés has developed valuable experience in coordinating on-the-ground aid. He’s put that to good use across Puerto Rico as he’s setting up temporary kitchens to cook and serve food. In a recent update on Twitter, he said that his group has served almost 50,000 meals so far and hopes to serve 100,000 by the end of the week.
He’s set up central operations at the Coliseo, the island’s largest sports arena, while also mobilizing food trucks to deliver food. He’s wrangled chef friends and volunteers across Puerto Rico to make paella, hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, arroz con pollo, and more.
In a Twitter video earlier today he laid out how he’s planning to help feed the island over the next 21 days through a series of eight kitchens across Puerto Rico.
Andrés has been frequently updating his Twitter followers on relief efforts and shining a light on the volunteers helping make a difference for the people in need. To help Andrés and his team at World Central Kitchen feed more people throughout Puerto Rico as they work to provide food, fuel, and logistics, you can donate here.
