miércoles, 24 de septiembre de 2025

Step by step to 1 million meals: New breakthrough in Gaza

WCK Breaks Ground on Two New Kitchens to Expand Meals for Gazan Families

World Central Kitchen is taking a major step forward in Gaza - building two new large-capacity kitchens that will nearly double our daily meal production and move us closer to serving one million hot meals every day.

These new kitchens come at a critical moment, nearly doubling WCK’s capacity beyond the 300,000 meals we already serve daily through an existing network of two large-scale kitchens, dozens of community kitchens, and restaurant partners. This expansion will increase our ability to bring meals to displaced Palestinian families, working to keep pace with overwhelming need.

The first of the new facilities is the Salam Kitchen (Arabic for peace) in Deir al-Balah. Alongside our existing Deir al-Balah Field Kitchen, it will dramatically expand our reach in the area. In Mawasi, construction is underway on the Hayat Kitchen (Arabic for life), set to be the largest kitchen WCK has ever built in Gaza, an unprecedented hub for frontline relief. Cooks at both kitchens will be capable of producing 250,000 meals daily, delivering immediate relief to the most vulnerable people of Gaza.

Behind the expansion is the work of WCK’s local team on operational infrastructure in Gaza. The team has built and supported 92 community kitchens and five Field Kitchens. Their work goes beyond the construction of facilities—day after day, they troubleshoot, repair, and innovate to keep food operations in the face of evacuations and shortages.

Our team has relied on creativity and determination to keep progress moving despite the enormous constraints to accessing aid and supplies in Gaza. For example, we’re building local stoves from scratch with recycled and repurposed parts. This resourcefulness has kept kitchen teams cooking and allowed new facilities, like the kitchens under construction, to take shape quickly.

WCK teams are working nonstop to complete construction of our two new Field Kitchens.

These efforts are part of a single mission: ensuring that food and water reach families in Gaza every day—marking one of the most ambitious hunger relief operations in WCK’s history. With the two new kitchens underway, and teams at dozens of community-led kitchens cooking, WCK is taking substantial steps to the one-million-meals-a-day milestone.