#ChefsForFeds Expanding Across US to Tackle 'Food Emergency' Sparked by Government Shutdown

The founder of World Central Kitchen, an organization providing food for people in the wake of disasters, confirmed on January 22 that an initiative offering food to furloughed federal employees would be rolled out across the US within days.

Speaking in a video posted on Twitter, restaurant owner and chef Jose Andres said that the #ChefsForFeds initiative had made between 6,000 and 8,000 hot meals per day since opening a pop-up cafe on January 16 in Washington in response to the US government shutdown.

Referring to individual efforts made by businesses before the pop-up cafe opened, Andres said, “Remember, that for the last 31 or 32 days many businesses, including my restaurants and many other partners like Sweetgreen, &pizza and many more, we’ve been together as one feeding as many federal workers as we could.”

He also said over the next 48 hours #ChefsForFeds would be rolled out across 30 restaurants in 12 states with more locations added in Washington.

Andres previously referenced the national roll-out in a video posted on January 19, in which he described the situation that furloughed employees were in as a “national food emergency.” Credit: Jose Andres via Storyful