From Wildfires to Healing: This Month at WCK

 

When Wildfires Strike, WCK Shows Up With a Nourishing Meal This past month, wildfires spread through communities across Spain, France, and Colorado, forcing thousands from their homes and sending courageous first responders to the front lines once again. In Ávila, the province of Almería, Andalusia, and most recently in Bordeaux, France, our teams are working alongside longtime partners, cooking fresh, comforting meals for evacuated families and the firefighters racing to contain the flames. In Pueblo, Colorado, our Relief Team partnered with local restaurants to make sure families never had to worry about their next meal. With fires still active in Spain, we’re closely watching three additional areas—Castellón, Salamanca, and Zamora—and stand ready to expand our response as the situation evolves. WCK is showing up with what we do best: a nourishing plate of food and a reminder that people aren't alone. That was especially true for Leire when wildfires reached the olive groves above Villa del Prado, Spain. She had minutes to evacuate with her daughter and mother, arriving exhausted at a shelter in Villamanta unsure of what came next. There, WCK's team offered something certain: hot food, familiar flavors, and a moment of rest. As wildfire season across the globe, WCK's network stands ready, because when disaster strikes close to home, every community deserves a comforting meal and hope. Donate to the Climate & Natural Disaster Fund In Ukraine, Growing Something of Their Own Again This spring, WCK launched a pilot program delivering greenhouses to displaced and frontline communities across Ukraine, helping families reconnect with routines the war disrupted. In Pidhorodne, Olena and Maksym now tend rows of tomatoes and herbs together, a small but powerful echo of the garden they were forced to leave behind in Donetsk. "When you plant something and then watch it grow, it's like a child," Maksym said. Across Ukraine, WCK has delivered 138 greenhouses to families rebuilding a sense of normalcy, purpose, and connection to the land, building on our broader Seeds of Hope initiative, which has provided more than 300,000 seed kits since 2023. Learn more about our greenhouse program in Ukraine. One Million Meals and Counting In Venezuela A few weeks after the deadly June 24 earthquakes, WCK has served more than 1.1 million meals to families, responders, and volunteers across Venezuela. Today our teams run a Field Kitchen in La Guaira, two community kitchens, and a network of local restaurant partners feeding communities in La Guaira and Caracas. "One million meals... represents thousands of acts of kindness," said Chef Olivier de Belleroche, WCK's Response Director in Venezuela. As families rebuild, WCK is investing in local kitchens and partners who will keep neighbors nourished for the long road ahead. Step into WCK’s Field Kitchen in La Guaira, Venezuela with Chef Simon. Meals That Say You Are Not Alone Every day in Gaza, WCK's 100% local team shows up for families like Abu Oudi's, who lights the stove each evening to share a warm meal with his wife and seven children, and Umm Yasser, who gathers firewood each morning to heat up WCK meals for her family. Raed Hassan is also displaced. For him, that daily meal delivery means organizing distribution so neighbors know exactly when help arrives. "It brings a sense of reassurance to families who wait every day for their meals," he said. Read their stories below. Abu oudi Toutah  |  Umm Yasser  |  Raed Hassan In DRC, Feeding Survivors on the Path to Healing At Panzi Hospital in eastern DRC, survivors of sexual violence are finding not just medical care, but nourishment and support as they heal. Since launching our partnership earlier this year, WCK has served more than 500,000 fresh meals to patients, caregivers, and medical staff. "Because true healing requires more than just medical treatment... meeting nutritional needs is an essential part of care," said Dr. Denis Mukwege, Panzi's founder. Every day, our teams prepare meals that offer survivors and their families comfort, dignity, and one less thing to carry as they rebuild. Read more here. Back-to-Back Storms and Responses in the Marianas Just 10 weeks after Super Typhoon Sinlaku, Super Typhoon Bavi struck the Northern Mariana Islands, compounding hardship for communities still rebuilding. On Rota, WCK distributed ingredient kits with 22 days of staples like rice, noodles, and soy sauce so families can cook meals they love. On Tinian, the Khan brothers of Khan's Pizza House showed up again, cooking halal dishes like Bengali shrimp curry alongside WCK teams. Across the islands, our local partners are meeting communities exactly where they are. See our work in Rota and Tinian. More From the Frontlines One year later, floods return to Hill Country, so does WCK. 🛻 The secret ingredient in Ingrid's soup? Knowing her community. 🥣 Fatima comes home to rubble. Her neighbors bring a hot meal. 🍲 Help Us Keep Cooking For Families in Need Across the World Donate