World Central Kitchen to be in quake-hit Hatay 'as long as needed'

HATAY, Türkiye

World Central Kitchen will be in the quake-hit Hatay province in Türkiye for "as long as" needed, said an official with the non-profit organization that dedicates itself to distributing meals in response to the humanitarian crisis.

Maxwell Eaton, the area leader of the organization, told Anadolu that World Central Kitchen arrived in Hatay Province one day after twin earthquakes struck the southern region of Türkiye.

"We're here to support them while they're rebuilding, while they're in a moment of distress," said Eaton.

He said it is hard to tell how long it will operate in the area but noted that it will be "at least two months."

"Part of what we do, partnering with local restaurants and local businesses, we set up systems ... so that they can continue on after we leave," he said. "So, we'd like to be in the area for as long as they need us."

Noting that World Central Kitchen set up multiple locations in the Antakya town of Hatay, he said the group partnered with local restaurants and catering companies and is currently setting up its own kitchen.

"We have multiple distribution sites throughout the city. And we're also delivering food directly to the villages -- the south Antakya between here and Samandag," he said.

“Cooking is starting tomorrow (will be changed due to the publication date) in our own kitchen,” he said. Underlining that they are currently serving nearly 30,000 people daily in the region, Eaton said: "We're aiming to move that up all the way until the need is met.

"Right now, we're guessing that the need might be as high as 70,000 to 100,000 meals a day," he said.

Earthquake victim ‘working with us'

Asked whether he encountered a story that affected his heart, Eaton said an earthquake victim is working with World Central Kitchen to provide help to other victims.

"His name is Mert, and he lost his home," he said. "But he's here working with us every day and to see somebody who's been through such an experience. To see how motivated he is and how ready to learn for his community is has been inspiring to our entire team."

"This work is difficult because being a compassionate person it's easy to understand how hurtful it would be to be in this situation. And I feel like every time I meet somebody, I understand more of their situation," he said.

He said World Central Kitchen tries to be a flag bearer for the standard of how to respond by providing food in a situation like in Türkiye. "People from all over the world that come here to help and we see what's happening here."

"And we want to show people that we're here to help," he said.

Eaton noted that his non-profit is deployed to many different types of situations, including hurricanes, flooding and water contamination. Even in Ukraine, where it supports Ukrainians who are in a war zone.