As a way to guarantee food To citizens in times of catastrophes such as hurricanes, earthquakes and in mass activities, the State acquired in 2009 a flotilla of 28 Industrial mobile kitchens for 114 million pesos, of which 14 still offer services And the rest has become scrap.
The project was initiated in President Leonel Fernández’s second government as part of the “Mobile feed program“, which was intended food at most impoverished communities of the country. Kitchens, made of stainless steel, were designed and built in the United States.
The Lack of maintenance And constant use, have deteriorated half Of the kitchens, but there are currently 14 that are used frequently. During the Haiti earthquake in 2010, these kitchens were of great importance to carry food cooked to Haitians. They operated for days at the border by Jimaní.
Star light, administrative and financial deputy director of the Economic dining rooms of the State, he said that it is a fixed project of the entity, which integrates 80 people to operate the 14 kitchens. The first kitchens had a gas tank, stove, restaurant sinks, separate laundries, water pump and 6 gallon water heater, in addition to their own electric plant and air conditioners.
“Upon our arrival, the kitchens that were in a state of deterioration began a Repair processthat’s why I said the amount we have managed to rescue. Not all have been able to recover them because, really, many of them only have corroded chassis. By 2026 we have contemplated in the new budget the acquisition of New mobile kitchens“Estrella said.
When asked if it is not possible to build new kitchens in the country, he said they have a particularity in their manufacturing and equipmentalthough you are evaluating that possibility. “There are metallurgics here that build them, but at a very high cost. Many of the teams are not of national manufacture and must have a combination. For example, the theme of chassis is something that cannot be manufactured here,” he said.
The 14 kitchens converted into scrap are parked at the facilities of the Economic dining roomsnext to the Olympic Village, in Santo Domingo Este. Most are already in unrecoverable conditionsdue to the corrosion of metals, deterioration of engines and other damage.
The use of kitchens
Since its acquisition, the project focused on two aspects: carry food to depressed areasmainly impacted by natural phenomena such as hurricanes, storms, earthquakes and others; and offer support for official entities and services that convene massive activities such as churches, clubs and other organizations.
Each kitchen has ability to produce until 2,500 food rations In three batches. For assistance in case of the impact of atmospheric phenomena, there is a protocol that is activated by provision of the Emergency Operations Center (COE).
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According to Estrella, at the end of 2024, the economic dining rooms, in general, served 51,000,000 rations, and of that amount, almost 12,000,000 were served in mobile kitchens.
