José Andrés receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom for humanitarian work

José Andrés, the Spanish-American chef, restaurateur, and humanitarian, has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work with his organization World Central Kitchen. The award was presented by President Joe Biden at a White House ceremony on Jan. 4, and recognizes Andrés’ extensive work providing food relief to communities affected by disasters worldwide.

WCK has delivered food to communities ravaged by natural disasters, facing food insecurity, and torn by armed conflict. Andrés created the not-for-profit organization after a 2010 earthquake devastated Haiti; he established local kitchens and handed out food. Since then, WCK has served over 450 million meals to those affected by global disasters.

“You answered the call to serve and led others to do the same thing,” President Biden said, addressing the award recipients during the ceremony. “You leave an incredible mark on our country, of insight and influence that can be felt around the globe — in major cities and remote areas alike — binding us closer as people and showing us what’s possible as a nation.”

Currently, WCK teams are active in various locations, including Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Spain, Mayotte, and North Carolina, supporting families facing conflict and natural disasters. The organization believes that food offers physical nourishment, comfort, and hope during times of crisis and that listening and learning from the communities it helps are paramount. 

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrés transformed eight of his restaurants in New York and D.C. into soup kitchens to help people facing food insecurity. He also transformed the Nationals Park stadium in D.C. into a community kitchen, feeding thousands.

Just last year, José Andrés and the WCK were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Contact Ally MacConchie at [email protected]