lunes, 31 de julio de 2023

WCK mobilizes across Greece as fires rage

Relief Team mobilizes across Greece as wildfires threaten communities

Dozens of wildfires fueled by record heat and dry conditions across the islands of Greece have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate, making this the largest evacuation effort in the country’s history. WCK’s Relief Team first reached Rhodes—an island in southeastern Greece where the firecest fires were burning—on Tuesday with sandwiches, fruit, and water for firefighters and locals doing everything they can to save homes and businesses. Since delivering our first sandwiches, we have provided thousands of meals to communities impacted by the fires in Rhodes, Evia, Corfu, Lamia, and Volos.

Firefighters from multiple countries have joined the operation and are making progress containing the blazes. While many families have been allowed to return home, high temperatures are still in the forecast and first responders remain vigilant as new fires may ignite. Across impacted regions, our teams are seeing residents work tirelessly alongside professional crews to control the flames. While delivering meals near Apollona—a village in central Rhodes—we came across a group of locals rigging their own hoses to a water tanker as they made their way to the frontline of the blaze. We provided sandwiches, fruit, and water to help sustain their efforts. Further north in Volos, our team greeted families forced to evacuate with meals and water as they arrived at shelters—we also brought some sweet treats for kids!

Our teams are hiking on mountain trails and using all-terrain vehicles to ensure that fire-impacted communities and first responders receive nourishing meals and refreshing drinks. Amid scorching temperatures, WCK-provided cold water and electrolyte drinks are offering much-needed respite to people combating the flames. This is the second time our Relief Team is responding to wildfires in Greece. In 2021, we provided thousands of meals to families in Evia—located just north of Athens—as heatwave-fueled fires devastated communities in the region.

Learn more about our efforts in Greece here.

Vermonters join WCK to support families impacted by floods

July brought torrential downpours that dumped two months’ worth of rain across Vermont in just a few days. Multiple cities and towns—including the state capital, Montpelier—were submerged and catastrophic flooding forced evacuations, destroyed infrastructure, and damaged thousands of homes and businesses. WCK jumped into action immediately, joining neighbors to serve thousands of meals to local families. Read the full story to learn how WCK worked alongside Vermonters to bring nourishing meals to communities in need.

Chef Warren was one of the many local partners that worked shoulder to shoulder with WCK to provide thousands of meals for Vermonters in need.

Latest updates from Ukraine

Russian forces have intensified attacks on major port cities in an effort to disrupt Ukrainian food exports. A recent wave of missile strikes against civilian targets in Mykolaiv and Odesa threatens to further exacerbate hunger in Ukraine, and many other countries. Residents of Odesa were under attack for three consecutive days last week and our Emergency Response Team provided ongoing support to impacted families and rescue crews searching for survivors. At the same time, missiles struck Mykolaiv and our team was at the scene of the attack within minutes, distributing meals, snacks, and coffee to first responders as they worked to extinguish flames from the blast. Learn more about our efforts in Ukraine here.