Matt WamplerCEO & Co-Founder, ClearCOGS · CEO & Co-Founder, ClearCOGS 🔪

🍽️ 500 Million Meals and Counting 🌍

25 Jun 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:19

In this brief dialogue, two speakers recount the origin and impact of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK). After receiving a $50,000 Vilcek Foundation prize, co‑founder Jose kept the check for six months, contemplating how to use the money responsibly. He proposed to Rob that they match the funds and launch a nonprofit, which they did, naming it World Central Kitchen by the end of that year. Over the subsequent eight years, WCK has served more than 500 million meals, especially in crisis moments like the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The speakers emphasize that meals provide more than calories—they deliver hope, foster community resilience, and create a virtuous cycle that injects money back into local food systems.

Chapters

One million meals cooked by the men and women of Puerto Rico. Big day!
A great meal during those dark days just brings so much more than the calories. It brings hope. He had just won this prize. It was a $50,000 check from the Vilcek Foundation for, like, what an immigrant can achieve in the U.S. And Jose put the check in his wallet and he carried it around for, like, 6 months waiting to, like, how should I use this money? I'm not just gonna go buy buy a car. So he said, Rob, I'll deposit that check if it's still cashable after riding around in my wallet for 6 months, if you'll match me and we'll, we'll start this nonprofit together. And we did. And we called it World Central Kitchen by the end of that year. But, you know, in the last 8 years since Puerto Rico, we have served over 500 million meals. And it's just a tribute to that idea of helping local people take care of their neighbors and feed them well. Not only meets a need and brings the calories that at people's darkest hour, but it brings hope. A great meal during those dark days just brings so much more than the calories. And best of all, that magical kind of virtuous cycle of getting money into the local food system.