Beer-braised fish tacos saved the day for Kal Penn as he emerged as the winner of “MasterChef Celebrity Showdown” on Monday.
The actor, whose latest role has landed him back in the White House — albeit a fictional one — as a speechwriter in ABC’s “Designated Survivor,” donated his $25,000 prize to aiding Palestinian refugees.
Celebrity winners of the show choose a non-profit organization to receive donations. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Penn’s choice of NGO, helps refugees receive education, primary healthcare and social services. According to UNRWA, it serves 5.1 million refugees, with 91 percent of donations going directly toward relief.
Lots of great, thoughtful questions about how celebs choose their respective NGOs for celebrity Master Chef! Here’s how I chose mine: pic.twitter.com/RbzwhO6pto
— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) January 4, 2017
Penn took to Twitter to explain why he chose to support refugees: “We are so fortunate as Americans to live in a country as prosperous as ours. … Much of our own media attention is focused away from the human stories of children and families who are suffering due to displacement against the rule of international law, terrorism and violence from so many sides. So having the chance to cook to benefit refugee families on MasterChef seemed like the right thing to do.”
Penn worked as the White House’s associate director of public engagement under President Barack Obama and left in 2011 to return to his acting career, which has spanned from the “Harold & Kumar” franchise to stints on television shows like “House” and “How I Met Your Mother.”
