Wildfires, a Typhoon & Floods: WCK Responds on 3 Continents

 

Over the past month, climate-related disasters – paired with a surging Covid variant – have kept WCK busy around the world. From Typhoon Rai in the Philippines to flooding in Brazil, a wildfire in Colorado and a response to Omicron in New York, WCK Relief Teams are serving thousands of nourishing meals each day to impacted families, first responders, and healthcare heroes. SUPPORT WCK RELIEF EFFORTS Wind-Fueled Fire Spreads Rapidly in Colorado Two days before the new year, a wildfire broke out in Boulder County, Colorado, forcing tens of thousands of people to immediately evacuate their homes. High winds and record dryness led to the Marshall Fire’s quick and vast spread, destroying more than 1,000 homes. WCK arrived shortly after the fire began to provide meals to emergency crews and first responders. Leveraging existing restaurant relationships built through our pandemic response in 2020, we were able to work with the local community to cook hot meals for people in need right away. Heavy snowfall over the weekend helped contain the flames, but the road to recovery for families who have lost everything is just beginning. WCK is now supporting more than 70 Boulder- and Denver-area restaurants that are serving hot, fresh meals to anyone impacted by the fires. Families have the option to pick up meals directly, and we are also working with the non-profit Conscious Alliance to deliver meals, water, and shelf-stable groceries to families unable to travel. During an unexpected nighttime snowstorm this week, the FED Boulder food truck team prepared dinners using local produce, including one farm’s last harvest of gorgeous mushrooms! Flooding in the Brazilian State of Bahia Extreme rainfall over the past several months has left widespread damage across the Brazilian state of Bahia. The influx of water ruptured two dams, bringing severe flooding and displacing tens of thousands of people. Homes and critical infrastructure were left completely underwater, and the damage remains widespread, affecting over 100 towns. Quickly building on our system of working with local restaurants to cook for neighbors in need, the WCK Relief Team identified 17 restaurant partners who are now serving meals to thousands of families a day. As always, we are using whatever means necessary to get meals to the people who need them. In Dário Meira, dinner is delivered from the back of our truck to people cleaning debris and salvaging whatever they can from their homes. Read more on our response here. Super Typhoon devastates the Philippines Days before Christmas, Super Typhoon Rai—referred to locally as Odette—hit the Philippines, affecting millions of people and forcing over 300,000 people to evacuate their homes. Rai was the 15th typhoon to make landfall in the Philippines in 2021, compounding the situation for communities that are still recovering from previous storms. Entire villages have been left without communications, making relief efforts very challenging. WCK quickly began partnering with local groups working to get freshly prepared meals to impacted families, and to date, we have served over 45,000 meals. This is the first time WCK has responded in the Philippines—one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world where natural disasters are frequent, inevitable, and getting worse. There is a huge need for help and WCK is committed to being here as long as we are needed. Read more on our response here and support our Climate Disaster Fund that enables us to respond so quickly here. WCK Activates Across NYC Amid Covid Surge As Omicron cases soared in New York City starting in December, mobile vaccination and testing clinics saw a spike in people needing services. In response, WCK started calling on some of our longtime restaurant partners to cook for healthcare staff working long hours on the cold winter days. Now, the WCK Relief Team is working with restaurants across the city to serve hot, comforting meals at a dozen mobile clinics across all five boroughs! The meals provide a much-needed boost of morale to these healthcare heroes keeping the community safe. Read more about what we are serving each day here. Did you catch José on The Ellen Show this week? Take a few minutes to tune in as he prepares a delicious surprise and shares about WCK's commitment to supporting families impacted by the climate crisis.  For the latest on WCK response efforts, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.