Top chefs Dame Prue Leith and Yotam Ottolenghi support DEC appeal as food crisis deepens after Turkey-Syria earthquake

• Dame Prue Leith and Yotam Ottolenghi show their support at time of ‘immense need’ 
• Turkish Red Crescent provides 31 million hot meals, 36 million loaves of bread 
• Donations to DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal reach £88 million 

Top chefs Dame Prue Leith and Yotam Ottolenghi have lent their support to the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal as charities race to respond to a deepening food and nutrition crisis following the disaster. 
 
Donations to the appeal have now reached £88.1 million in eight days, including £5 million matched by the UK Government through the UK Aid Match scheme. 
 
The earthquake has killed at least 41,000 people and left millions at risk from lack of food, shelter and medical supplies. In Turkey (now known as Turkiye), over 47,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged, the UN said yesterday, leaving many thousands of people without access to cooking facilities. The UN estimates that 4.7 million people in rural areas of the country are struggling to get enough food.  
 
In Syria, even before the earthquake over 12 million people did not have enough food, with the disaster expected to substantially worsen the situation. 
 
DEC charities and their partners have been working round the clock to provide urgent lifesaving assistance including hot meals, food kits, cooking equipment and clean water in both Turkey and Syria. The Turkish Red Crescent, which is supported by DEC charity British Red Cross, has provided 31 million hot meals and 36 million loaves of bread since the earthquakes struck. 

Chef and restaurant owner Yotam Ottolenghi hosted a live virtual cookery demonstration yesterday to raise money for the DEC’s appeal. Acclaimed chef and TV personality Dame Prue Leith, who supports DEC charity Action Against Hunger, also expressed her support. 
 
She said: “What has happened in Turkey and Syria is truly shocking. The need for nutritious food is immense as so many people have lost everything. Without their homes and kitchens they are unable to cook. It is terrible. I would encourage everyone to give whatever they can.” 
 
Action Against Hunger is providing food to people affected by the earthquake through ready-to-eat rations, including canned chickpeas, chicken, and tuna, to help people reach their recommended daily number of calories. They are also running malnutrition screening and have started a community kitchen in a village near Kahramanmaras, which gives 3,000 people per day the chance to cook their own food.

Cristina Izquierdo, Nutrition & Health Coordinator for Action Against Hunger’s Emergency Team, who has been in Turkey since the day after the earthquake, said: “People who found themselves in a vulnerable situation before the earthquake took place are now at higher risk of not being able to meet their basic needs, where food security is included. Moreover, those who were in a financially stable situation might not be able to, at least temporarily due to the shock, access markets due to disrupted food supply chain. Ensuring they have access to sufficient and nutritious food reduces their distress by making sure they can feed themselves and their family members, especially their children, leaving them room to focus on other pressing needs, such as finding shelter.” 
 
Islamic Relief has distributed over 150,000 food items and just under 2,000 food packs across Syria and Turkey. The organisation is providing food packs to allow families to cook nutritious meals as well as specialised food for infants. 
 
Mohammad Hamza, Head of Idlib Office, Islamic Relief said: “There is a major need to provide long term support to help with recovery, but in the short term, our food pack distributions are helping families get through from day to day. 
 
World Vision have set up a large kitchen providing 11,000 ready-to-eat hot meals in northwest Syria, with rice, meat, chicken, vegetables and nuts. They are also distributing heaters and fuel to those most affected. 
 
Johan Mooij, World Vision’s Syria Response Director, said: "Hundreds of thousands of people have been left utterly destitute in the wake of this catastrophic earthquake and we are working through partners to scale up our response every day.” 
 
The Turkish Red Crescent have distributed over 31 million hot meals, along with more than 36 million loaves of bread, 7.5 million servings of soup and 18.5 million bottles of water. Over 800 vehicles have also been deployed including mobile kitchens, catering trucks and emergency vehicles.  

Praxedes Merchan, Syrian Programme Manager for the British Red Cross, said, "The Syrian Red Crescent have distributed over 75,000 food and nutrition items to sheltering centres supporting people affected by the earthquake. The teams on the ground continue to working tirelessly, with more support for the rescue and relief effort on its way." They are being supported by DEC charity British Red Cross, but are using funding from a variety of sources. 
 
DEC Director of Programmes & Accountability Madara Hettiarachchi said: “As the days move on, we are now seeing the secondary impacts of the earthquake, which includes an escalating food crisis. DEC charities are working tirelessly to provide thousands of hot meals, food items and cooking equipment to people who have lost everything. Nutrition is fundamental - not just for the short-term – but it forms the building blocks for the rest of our lives. Your donations are helping right now, to get food to those who need it most.” 

For more information, please visit the DEC website.

ENDS   
 
Notes to editors:    
 
Media enquiries please call 020 7387 0200 or 07734 653616 (out of hours).    
 
A collection of images and video footage of the aftermath of the earthquake and DEC charities responding is available here.    
 
About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.       
 
Fourteen of the DEC’s 15 members are either responding or planning to respond in Turkey and Syria and will receive funds from this appeal. Some may work through trusted local partners. They are Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.      
 
Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.     
 
UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently Pakistan Floods Appeal and Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, both in 2022.  The UK matched up to £25 million of public donations to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal - the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through UK Aid Match.    
 
Enquiries about UK Aid Match and UK Government support for Turkey/Syria should be directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Newsdesk. Please email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk.      
 
How to donate:        

Online: dec.org.uk      

Phone: 0370 60 60 610     

Text to give/SMS: for press releases: text SUPPORT to 70787 to donate £10. Other partners should use the specific text codes they have been provided with by the DEC.     

Donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office, or send a cheque by post to: DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.