By Lydia Breisith, director, PBS WETA's
Colorín Colorado
Directions
: Watch the
video
, read the summary and answer the questions below. Follow along with the transcript
here
.
Summary:
Before Hurricane Dorian reached the Bahamas last weekend, chef José Andrés and his nonprofit organization, World Central Kitchen (WCK), were on the ground preparing to provide meals to people affected by the natural disaster. The hurricane indeed was catastrophic for the islands, where search and rescue efforts continue as the death toll, now 23, is likely to rise.
Andrés has multiple restaurants in many cities and has turned much of his attention to providing food to people affected by natural disasters. According to the
WCK website
, the organization has provided more than 8 million meals after emergencies in Haiti, Peru, Houston, Puerto Rico, California, Hawaii, Indonesia, Guatemala, Mexico, the Carolinas, Florida, Nebraska, Mozambique, Colombia, Venezuela and more.
José Andrés
has been nominated
for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019. (The winner of that prize will be announced later this year.) Andrés is originally from Spain and became a U.S. citizen in 2013.
Essential question:
Why do you think José Andrés decided to create an organization focused on providing homemade meals to people in disaster zones?
Warm-up questions:
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- What are some of the challenges that people face after a natural disaster (food, clothing, housing, medical, etc.)?
- What are specific challenges around food after a natural disaster?
- Watch this clip: 1:45 – 2:45 How chef José Andrés is working to feed the storm-stricken Bahamas
- What are some steps José Andrés and WCK are taking to help get food to people immediately in the Bahamas?
- Take a look at your list of challenges around food and natural disasters above. How is WCK addressing some of those challenges in the Bahamas?
- What are some reasons why WCK partnered with local people on the ground to make meals in Puerto Rico?
- Why do you think government officials initially didn’t believe José Andrés could do what he said he could?
- Why do you think WCK is focusing on available resources and helping people feed themselves, rather than only relying on outside help?
- Think again about the challenges around food and natural disasters you listed at the beginning. How might conditions change from disaster site to disaster site?
- What lessons can we learn from José Andrés' work?
- “They need you in Freeport…kids are hungry.”
- Map of WCK kitchens in Bahamas
- Footage of devastation in Abaco
- Time lapse of getting food unloaded in Bahamas
- Dollar for dollar donation match for Team Rubicon (a different organization on the ground in the Bahamas)
For monthly updates containing teacher resources on Election 2020, click here . Sign up for short education highlights from the PBS NewsHour here .