Hilton and American Express Donate $1 Million to World Central Kitchen to Feed Medical Staff Staying at Hotels

In furthering their coronavirus relief efforts Hilton and American Express to provide meals to health care workers.

Following their first collaboration, providing one million free rooms to healthcare workers across the country, the two companies are now donating $1 million to José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen to provide meals in those rooms as well.

Medical workers staying at Hilton hotels through the program will be delivered meals from famous restaurants like Legacy Records and ATLA in New York, Jon & Vinny’s, and Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles and Estadio in Washington D.C.

The $1 million donation from Hilton and AmEx covers everything from ingredients and the wages of restaurant staff in the three cities who may have been previously furloughed.

World Central Kitchen began its deliveries to Hilton hotels in April in Los Angeles and the program has since expanded to include New York and D.C., with additional cities under consideration. The organization aims to purchase more than one million meals from local restaurants around the country, helping feed Americans affected by COVID-19 and put more people back to work.

The organization has been around for a decade, but it has been especially effective during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the virus broke out in the U.S. in March, Andrés announced that he would close all of his D.C. restaurants and transform them into community kitchens for those in need in partnership with World Central Kitchen.

Hilton’s partnership with American Express has repurposed empty hotel rooms into safety housing for medical professionals across the country. Hotels participating in the program have undergone additional safety training “on relevant health and safety measures to safeguard their own and their guests’ well-being."

“Our medical workers who are courageously and selflessly serving on the frontlines in the coronavirus crisis represent the best of who we are,” said American Express chairman and CEO Stephen J. Squeri, in a statement at thee time. “We’re honored to support this initiative with our longtime partner, Hilton, to provide the heroes in our communities a place to rest, recharge, and help keep their loved ones safe during this time.”