Floods, Fires, and Food Trucks: This Month at WCK

 

WCK Responds to Flash Floods in Nepal WCK is responding in Nepal, where our restaurant partners are serving meals to families in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts after devastating flash flooding. WCK Relief Team members are on their way now to support the work already underway. That's the strength of working locally: when disaster strikes, someone who knows the community is often already there, ready to cook. The flooding hit districts downstream from Nepal's border with China. More than a hundred people have died and hundreds more are missing. Experts believe an ice-rock avalanche from a glacier blocked the Lhende Khola River, then released a sudden surge downstream—washing away villages and destroying roads and bridges. It's the second time the river has flooded in fourteen months. Today families in Rasuwa and Nuwakot need food, and hot meals are already reaching them. Your support helps our teams get there fast. Thank you. Donate Today Colombia: Fueling the Rescuers After a magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit Colombia's Pacific coast, WCK teams were serving that same day. In Manizales, we walked the streets at night, handing meals straight to families in the hardest-hit neighborhoods. In Quibdó, we brought food from local restaurants to a school courtyard that's become a community gathering point. We're also feeding the volunteer rescuers of Los Topos Aztecas as they search for survivors. As Hector from their team put it: “This is what you call loving humanity.” Watch our teams working alongside volunteer rescuers in Colombia. In Gary, Indiana, Neighbors Show Up An August 11 storm knocked out power across Gary, Indiana, and thousands of families are now entering their third week without electricity—no refrigeration, no easy way to cook. WCK is on the ground with local restaurants and food trucks, taking hot meals straight to the neighborhoods that need them, from rice bowls with Chicago Lunchbox to dinner for hundreds at the City Life Center of Northwest Indiana. Here's the part we love: residents living through the same outage are volunteering at our sites to hand water to their neighbors. Our job is to back them up. Whatever It Takes to Reach Flores When a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Flores Island, Indonesia, it left some roads impassable. So our teams took motorcycles down the rocky route to Bea Mese and reached families who had been cut off. Restaurant partner Imam cooks daily, switching up his menu to bring local flavors—fresh fruit, vegetables, and protein—to his neighbors. At a hospital that could only offer noodles and rice, we asked what would help, and now we're delivering produce and fresh eggs. Local partners make all the difference. Neighbors Reaching Neighbors in Nāʻālehu When Hurricane Lala flooded Hawaiʻi Island, some communities were cut off from the outside world. So our teams went to them. WCK is delivering hot meals door to door in Nāʻālehu alongside Vibrant Hawaiʻi, a local organization that connects residents to the resources they need. Many families are still waiting for power to come back, and a warm plate makes the wait a little easier. Communities know themselves best—we're helping our partners reach a little further. Watch Response Director John check in from Nāʻālehu. Shade, Water, and a Little Relief Summer heat is making daily life even harder for displaced families in Gaza. Our 100% local #ChefsForGaza teams listen to what neighbors need most, so alongside meals they're distributing water and tents for shade. Families find their own moments of relief, too. Raed takes his children to the sea near Mawasi to cool off and play. And beekeeper Sami still tends the hives he has left, hoping to rebuild local agriculture. Our teams keep showing up, day after day. When It Happens to One of Us When wildfires forced more than 60,000 people from their homes near Spokane, Washington, our team was there the same day with hot meals. We cooked alongside local partners like Caruso's, where Chefs Brystol and Heidi made sandwiches and hot plates to carry straight to families and first responders. Our response has now wrapped up, but Rhea's words stay with us: “When something happens to one of us, it kind of feels like it happens to all of us.” That's why we show up. Watch Rhea and our team on the ground in Spokane. More From the Frontlines Six weeks, six fire responses—here's how WCK is getting meals to families in Spain. 🇪🇸 Ali lost his home and his taxi business. In Zahlé, Lebanon he found a hot meal and a neighborhood. 🇱🇧 The secret to feeding Centreville de Verrettes in Haiti? A team that knows exactly who they're cooking for. 🇭🇹 The earthquakes are out of the headlines. In La Guaira, Venezuela the kitchens are still cooking. 🇻🇪 From farmers to fishermen, how WCK is sourcing locally in the DRC 🇨🇩 Help Us Keep Cooking For Families in Need Across the World Donate