Sometimes, a full belly and familiar foods are priceless.
As the situation in Afghanistan unfolds, thousands of people have left the turmoil of the Kabul airport for distant shores. The good folks at World Central Kitchen (WCK) teamed up with local chefs and restaurants to provide hot food for refugees from Afghanistan as they landed at Dulles International Airport last week.
Today’s scene at Dulles Airport outside DC ✈️ To support families landing from Afghanistan, the WCK team is here to provide fresh, hot meals upon arrival. People have not eaten in hours—or days—by the time they land. Today’s plates came from @lebanesetaverna. #ChefsForAfghans pic.twitter.com/QKxiMgED5F
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) August 25, 2021
WCK is back at Dulles Airport with fresh halal meals for Afghan families landing in the US. Today we have a lamb & spinach stew over rice! After traveling for days, this is often the first meal people have before they board buses for the next step in the process. #ChefsForAfghans pic.twitter.com/iVOotsJlf0
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) August 27, 2021
Local restaurants like Lebanese Taverna, Mezeh Grill, and Kabobi are also getting in on the action to provide delicious meals on location. Traditional Middle Eastern cuisine is full of grilled meats, stews and healthy vegetables served with grains, flatbreads and savory sauces.
Mezeh Grill & Kabobi—two Afghan-owned restaurants—provided meals for families at Dulles today. Mezeh Grill prepared marinated chicken over rice w/ parsley salad, pickled turnips & yogurt sauce, and Kabobi made traditional Afghan chicken & chickpea stew over rice! #ChefsForAfghans pic.twitter.com/c0MuNmwjGF
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) August 29, 2021
The WCK endeavors aren't just limited to our shores—another team in Spain is welcoming Afghan refugees there as well. The organization was created in 2010 by chef José Andrés, with the simple mission of providing nourishing food to those in need. Whether people are recovering from a natural disaster, financial hardships, or any other source of turmoil, you can count on WCK to arrive with food to give a helping hand.
Beginning today, WCK is expanding our #ChefsForAfghans response! Our team in Spain is welcoming Afghan families with fresh plates of food—today we’re serving 4,000 meals. On the lunch menu: vegetarian spiced red lentils, Afghan chicken kofta, potatoes & naan. pic.twitter.com/UBUuSjQYZW
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) August 27, 2021
For more information about World Central Kitchen, or to make a donation online, check out their website or follow along with their Twitter feed. Their ongoing mission of feeding those in need will always benefit from financial contributions. You can also follow watch the hashtag #ChefsForAfghans to see more posts about these efforts.
The @WCKitchen team at Dulles Airport delivering 350 hot meals to Afghan refugees who just landed from Ramstein Base in Germany! Because the arrival & customs process can take a while…we organized with @United to get meals to families first—right on the plane! #ChefsForAfghans pic.twitter.com/TK6bWck4Lp
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) August 28, 2021
Have you ever volunteered with World Central Kitchen? When and where were you stationed to help out? Tell us all about it in the comments.