Hurricane Dorian: Chef José Andrés Food First Responders ready to feed Bahamians

Chef José Andrés and volunteers with his nonprofit World Central Kitchen are already on the ground in the Bahamas, where Hurricane Dorian continued to pound the islands Monday night, preparing to feed thousands of hungry people.

World Central Kitchen was founded by Andrés and his wife Patricia to serve food for communities hard hit by natural and man-made disasters, according to wck.org. The organization deploys volunteer chefs called "food first responders" around the world to cook massive amounts of the Spanish rice dish paella and feed people who need a hot meal most.

Volunteers build makeshift kitchens if needed or operate out of shelters or hotels.

After Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico, World Central Kitchen served more than 3 million meals. During the 2019 partial U.S. government shutdown the nonprofit handed out free food and supplies to furloughed government workers affected by the shutdown at World Central Kitchen's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Ahead of Hurricane Dorian, Andrés said in a tweet that World Central Kitchen volunteers have been coordinating planes, boats and helicopters to get food to the islands.

The world-famous chef was on the ground before Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 storm Sunday and shared video from the Bahamas showing the catastrophic winds. 

According to the World Central Kitchen Hurricane Dorian response map, the organization will have volunteers working out of resorts on Grand Bahama Island and Abaco as well as shelters.

Dorian continued to pound the Bahamas on Monday night as the storm was at a near standstill, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane is expected to move dangerously close to the Florida east coast Monday night through Wednesday evening.

World Central Kitchen is also working with Florida chefs as Dorian slowly makes its way toward Florida's east coast, preparing to feed those without power.

People wanting to help the cause can donate here or by texting FOOD to 80100. Anyone interested in joining the World Central Kitchen volunteer corps can sign up here.