The Impact of the Archewell Foundation – A Series

Part 3

[Episode 99]

Introduction

This week we continue our foray into a sample of the organisations who Harry and Meghan have partnered with or have assisted by way of funds to a number of small to medium organisations, by the Archewell Foundation.. This week we are looking at one of the Partnerships, and the following is direct quote from the Archewell website.

“At The Archewell Foundation our core purpose is, quite simply, to do good. We meet the moment by showing up, taking action, and using our unparalleled spotlight to uplift and unite communities, both local and global, online and offline.

We believe that philanthropic work is more than a handout, it’s a hand held. To activate this belief, we independently create dynamic and impactful programming to serve communities in need. We also partner with key organizations and leaders to identify immediate needs, build meaningful initiatives, and drive long-term change.

Baked into all that we do is the core belief that our collective wellbeing and mental health are paramount. Our three main pillars of focus are to build a better world online, to restore trust in information, and above all, to uplift communities.”

Please Note: All images used in this podcast and accompanying article have the following accreditation to them “Photo credit to World Central Kitchen/WCK.org.”

World Central Kitchen

Figure 1World Central Kitchen Logo

Our spotlight this week is one of those Partner organisations, World Central Kitchen. The information about this organisation and its work is immense and each crisis that they take on is both wide in scope and in depth. Having looked at their website, I could easily have done 3 podcasts on this oeganisation, and I would still only be touching the surface. I decided to do my best with one podcast, ie devoting all of this podcast to World Central Kitchen, to give an indication of the impact that they have had and continue to have on a global scale. I cannot cover every detail of every project that they quickly gather resources and travel to make a difference , but hopefully you will get an idea of the magnitude of the assistance that they provide, and I strongly urge you to visit and spend time on their website, to find out more, and to access various links within the site, for more information on each area of crisis needing assistance. World Central Kitchen is a huge concern, with staff based in a variety of places around the world, with their base in the USA. We will touch on these areas as we go through a myriad of activities running alongside each other. Yes this organisation is huge compared to those we have covered to date, but remember teams fly out to different parts of the world to assist others, and as you will hear about from time to time, staff from WCK have been lost along the way, casualties of ‘war’ merely by their location at that moment in time, trying to provide food and a range of assistance to people affected by atrocities.

Who Are World Central Kitchen?

Bahamas Hurricane Relief

Another quote, this time from WCK itself:-

“WCK is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.”

Figure 2Helicopter Bahamas Relief

Another quote from the WCK website, in their media section, is as follows:-

“Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines providing fresh meals in response to crises, while working to build resilient food systems with locally led solutions. Applying our model of quick action, leveraging local resources, and adapting in real time, WCK has served more than 300 million nourishing meals around the world.

When disaster strikes, WCK’s Relief Team mobilizes with the urgency of now to start cooking and serving meals to people in need. By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of local restaurants, food trucks, or emergency kitchens, WCK serves comforting meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively. To support regional economies, WCK prioritizes purchasing local ingredients to cook with or distribute directly to families in need.

We know that good food provides not only nourishment, but also comfort and hope, especially in times of crisis. Learn more at wck.org.”

The Work of World Central Kitchen

WCK has created a new model for disaster relief helping devastated communities recover.

Emergency Food Relief:- Serving freshly made meals to people affected by disaster.
WCK responds to natural disasters, man-made crises, and humanitarian emergencies around the world. We’re a team of food first responders, mobilizing with the urgency of now to get meals to the people who need them most. Deploying our model of quick action, leveraging local resources, and adapting in real time, we know that a nourishing meal in a time of crisis is so much more than a plate of food—it’s hope, it’s dignity, and it’s a sign that someone cares.
- Many more moving and inspirational images on the website under this heading.
Chefs for Ukraine:-

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military operation on neighboring Ukraine, invading the country on several fronts. Since then, millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes, finding refuge within the country or leaving for other countries altogether. As families travel for days, and live under ongoing threats and occupation, many are going days without food. The prolonged war has also disrupted activity at Ukraine’s ports and borders straining the local food supply.

Working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals within hours of the initial invasion, and we quickly grew our response mobilizing teams of cooks in Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, and Germany. With more people returning to Ukraine, WCK is focusing our efforts to provide hundreds of thousands of fresh meals and tens of thousands of food kits each day. We’re reaching hundreds of cities including areas under fire, recently liberated towns, and communities hosting refugees.

As the situation keeps evolving, WCK will continue to help in the best way we know how, with a freshly prepared plate of food.

Climate Related Responses:- Supporting communities most impacted by the climate crisis.

This is a fight so hungry people can eat.

WCK has witnessed first-hand the crisis of climate-triggered hunger around the world. Hurricanes are developing earlier in the year and occurring more regularly and with increased intensity; devastating wildfires are now becoming a year-round threat; and warmer temperatures are fueling added moisture in the air, unleashing record rains and flooding around the world. This crisis is driving hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees from their homes seeking safety, shelter, and food. Without access to fresh food in their communities, people are forced to move elsewhere.

Climate crisis-fueled extreme weather leads to most of the emergencies to which WCK responds. The increased frequency and ferocity of catastrophic weather events requires us to continually adapt our model for relief and humanitarian assistance. Since launching this initiative, WCK teams have used the support raised through our Climate Disaster Fund to provide meals following disasters including Category-5 Hurricane Ian in Florida, extreme rainfall and flooding in Pakistan, and a destructive series of wildfires in Spain.

As world leaders pursue long-term policies to address the climate crisis over several decades, WCK has committed to raising and spending $1 billion to immediately help families impacted by extreme weather. Launched in 2021, this initiative was initially seeded with $50 million for acute disaster relief—our commitment spans 10 years as we will continue to ensure vulnerable communities have access to nutritious food immediately following natural disasters.

Chef Corps:- Meet our global network of culinary leaders

The Chef Corps is a global network of prominent culinary leaders who champion World Central Kitchen’s work providing fresh meals following crises. Thanks to their generosity, adaptability, and visibility, Chef Corps members are uniquely positioned to accelerate and amplify what WCK can accomplish when we arrive first to the frontlines.

Much more information on the website about this area of work.

Legacy Programs – Our past resilience work

From 2010 to 2022, WCK led resilience-focused programing to address chronic food system challenges in disaster-prone regions. Through locally led approaches, these legacy programs advanced human and environmental health, offered access to professional culinary training, created jobs, and improved food and nutrition security in communities around the world.

OUR TEAM

FOUNDER AND CHIEF FEEDING OFFICER

Chef José Andrés

Chef José Andrés, born and trained in Spain, moved to the US at age 21. He soon settled in Washington, DC, and began volunteering at DC Central Kitchen, where he started to think big about philanthropy. Over the course of his career as a chef and restaurateur, he saw the role of cooks – and the power of food – to change the world. This path inspired José to found World Central Kitchen in 2010 after a devastating earthquake in Haiti, with the support of his wife Patricia, as well as his business partner Rob Wilder and his wife Robin. Since then, he’s pursued a mission to fulfill the words of John Steinbeck: “Wherever there’s a fight so that hungry people may eat … we’ll be there.”

Leadership

The WCK team works around the world with staff based at our headquarters in Washington, DC and around the world.

Figure 3 Erin Gore – CEO

Figure 4 Jason Collis Chief Relief Officer

Figure 5 Val Gonzales Chief Financial Officer

Figure 6 Linda Roth Chief Communication Officer

We Feed People Documentary

One of many You Tube videos available talking about the work that World Central Kitchen is involved in. This is a link to just one, but you will see some listed on the website itself, but there are more to be found on You Tube.

The official Trailer of the documentary:-

This link is from the Founder of World Central Kitchen giving a summary of their work.

Impact of WCK

There is information on the website supplying details of the impact of the organisation for each year going back as far as 2012. This image is an introduction of the financial statements for 2022. The Link for each of these years can be found on WCK website. The above image is a screen grab from the section introducing impact details in relation to 2022.

As you can see from the image, 195 million meals were provided to communities in crises around the world in 2022, aided by the support from thousands of people around the world donating and helping in one or another.

Closing Remarks

I was blown away by the amount and scope of work done by this organisation. There is much training and development going on, and joint working with various specialists around the world, in order to ensure that assistance can be delivered to people in crisis as soon as possible. Worth repeating a quote from earlier in this podcast:-

“WCK is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.”

To know that Archewell is a Partner with WCK, is heartening. They are not just interacting for one a few minutes or a day or so, it is an ongoing commitment to be of service for those in need of urgent assistance. Service is being delivered around the globe. What this organisation achieves each year, with various agencies all playing their part, and donations and help in many forms, reinforces the message that Service is indeed Universal, for Archewell Foundation and all those it partners with, to make a tangible difference to peoples’ lives. I am sure that we are all more than pleased that they are free to do this kind of service, alongside the other divisions of the Foundation. Ignore those who are trying to devalue the Sussex brand by a variety of methods – it is because each good deed along with measurable positive impact, and global recognition for the services delivered, only serves to show unfavourable comparisons, with those who on paper, are described in terms which is so far from reality, those authors of such fairy tales, clearly meet themselves coming back on this yellow brick road of fiction. We have no need to concern ourselves with those slow dancing on a burning room , in their pantomime attire and stolen jewellery. The focus is on tangible meaningful work going on in the background, providing emergency assistance where it is needed quickly. I have removed myself from any form of media which in reality is a cartel, protecting their own interests, to focus on people who wish to be of service to those in need. All the other activity which commenced 7 years ago, and which now is actively trying to taint and destroy a brand, will ultimately fail in all its objectives. For one thing is clear, if Harry and Meghan stopped work tomorrow, they have enough finances to live a very good life, and will never have any need to be forced back to the UK to be anyone’s Royal footstool again. Secondly and most importantly in my eyes, all the trying to destroy the brand etc., is known by other descriptions in legal terms, and 7 years of evidence is a very strong basis to take legal action. So, all those who are out there trying to tear down a couple and their organisation by a range of methods, just know there are several elements of the law being broken in your zeal to see them fail and return to the fold. Get over yourselves. It will never happen, no matter what happens with any further trickery planned. They are financially independent already, and will never ever need any of you. Those with a working brain, are very clear about who needs whom. The fact that it is being done with UK taxpayers funds is abhorrent but that too will enter the heads of sufficient people in the UK one day.

This channel will continue to focus on the impact of the Archewell Foundation, and we have chosen not to enter or read about the circus that is town every day now. You all speak about the Sussexes more than the Queen who reigned for 70 years, or the current King, who has not been the Uk Monarch for a year yet, but all UK media seemed to have forgotten about him already, as they don’t even write about him every day. Whilst you lot are out here playing games, and forcing yourselves on the USA with the assistance of the far Right, you will be reminded eventually, that the USA fought to remove themselves from any form of Monarchy, and there is no desire to return to such a state of affairs. It is clear the interest in the USA is purely because the couple who escaped live there. It is plain as day.

The history books will show, that whilst all this effort and cost of meaningless activity has been done with a view to destroy a family or worse, all at taxpayers expense, the ones who escaped from the abuse, have achieved so much in 3 years, and they are financially stable and set for life already. This same family are making a huge difference to those in need around the world. Measurable impact, and nothing that you are doing or planning to do, will be able to stop that.

Harry and Meghan are global iconic philanthropists now. Meanwhile, back in the UK Plantation behind gilded gates, you are giving off the vibes of a rejected ex partner, who cannot accept that they have lost control of their slaves, and have now resorted to clownery, under the guise of Royalling, and in so doing you are all just taking the UK, with the help of some key elected officials, down to the swamp of life. In a nuthell – a laughing stock. Meanwhile the ex slaves are thriving and will never need to require assistance or permission from any of you ever again. UK media never goes a day without discussing Harry and Meghan. As I said earlier, 7 years of evidence is very powerful, never mind if people are foolish enough to continue with their activities towards Harry and Meghan and continue to add to the daily total.

The work speaks for itself:-