The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced that Spanish chef Jose Andres’s foundation to feed the hungry will be the first recipient of help from their Archewell foundation.
Meghan and Harry set up the foundation in April this year in the name of their one-year-old son, Archie. The name also stems from the Ancient Greek word ‘arche’, which means ‘source of action’.
At the time of the organization’s founding, it was reported that Archewell would focus on issues including ‘conservation, female empowerment, and gender equality’. Their website says it is ‘an organization committed to creating compassionate communities online and off, to serve our collective wellbeing.’
On Sunday they said they had chosen the first charity to support, and will be giving money to Jose Andres’s World Central Kitchen – an organization that provides sustenance to those in need around the world.
It was not stated how much was being given, but the money will build four Community Relief Centers – the first in Domenica, and the second in Puerto Rico.
The cost of each center will vary depending on the location, but Nate Mook, CEO of World Central Kitchen, estimated that each set-up would require an initial investment of at least $50,000 to get up and running.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are supporting chef Jose Andres (pictured) in his charity
Meghan and Harry’s Beverly Hills-based charity praised Andres’ team’s inspirational example
‘When we think about Chef Andres and his incredible team at World Central Kitchen, we’re reminded that even during a year of unimaginable hardship, there are so many amazing people willing – and working tirelessly – to support each other,’ they wrote.
‘World Central Kitchen inspires us through compassion in action.’
World Central Kitchen was founded in 2010 in response to the Haiti earthquake by Andres, a celebrity chef who runs 16 restaurants from New York City, Washington DC, and Miami to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico.
He was due to open a restaurant inside the Trump Hotel in Washington DC, but pulled out in 2016 when the president infamously called Mexicans ‘rapists’. He has remained a fervent Trump critic ever since.
In 2018, Andres was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
‘We are more energized than ever to continue this vital work, and we’re proud that it will be hand in hand with Archewell Foundation and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,’ said Andres.
‘I have come to know both of them well, and believe that their values are directly aligned with what we stand for at World Central Kitchen.’
Andres said that he had got to know Meghan and Harry, and they shared the same values
The Spanish-born, DC-based chef is a passionate advocate for food security
Andres, 51, has since 2010 devoted much of his energy to WFK, traveling around the world to disaster zones.
The organization works by parachuting into disaster areas, and then working with local groups to improve the supply chain for those most in need.
In their 10 years they have worked in Nicaragua, Peru, Zambia, Uganda, and Cambodia, among other countries.
Andres famously brought his team to Washington DC to provide meals for government employees going without pay during the furlough in January 2019.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are backing a series of Community Relief Centers for World Central Kitchen.
Meghan and Harry founded Archewell in April to support community organizations
The structures will be permanent, Bloomberg reported, and built to act as quickly-activated service kitchens during emergencies like natural disasters, with the ability to transition to community centers, schools and clinics.
Andres’ team believe that their integrated approach is the best way to promote more resilient local food systems.
The first of the four centers is being built on the Caribbean island of Domenica, which was hard hit by Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017. The center is due to open in early 2021.
The second will be set in Puerto Rico; the other two locations have not been announced.
The Duke and Duchess said that they do not have immediate plans to visit the centers due to coronavirus restrictions, but plan to in the future.
The design of each center will be dependent on the location.
‘One of our greatest assets is being able to quickly spring into action to feed those in need after a disaster,’ Mook told Bloomberg.