Climate & Natural Disaster Fund

World Central Kitchen (WCK) is first to the frontlines providing meals in response to climate, humanitarian, and community crises. We launched the Climate Disaster Fund (CDF) in November 2021, as our decade-long commitment to raise and spend $1 billion to support communities impacted by the climate crisis. While there are always unknowns for a disaster relief organization—such as when, where, or how many crises will occur—these flexible resources allow us to respond around the world with the urgency of now rather than having to wait for disaster-specific funding. Our Climate Disaster Fund plays a critical role in strengthening WCK’s ability to mobilize and provide fresh food immediately in the wake of a natural disaster.

We are so grateful for the supporters of our Climate Disaster Fund, whose donations continue to  fuel our work as we move into summer and prepare for the wildfire and Atlantic hurricane seasons.

Between February and May 2026, WCK responded to 10 climate-related crises in 7 countries, serving 1.3 million meals to impacted communities.We are pleased to share summaries of a few of these responses below:

Colombia Floods (February): In Colombia, weeks of sustained rainfall in Córdoba overwhelmed river systems, causing the Sinú River to overflow and flood 24 of 30 municipalities. Tens of thousands of families were affected, with thousands of homes and farms flooding and water systems contaminated. WCK launched a Colombian-led response, working in close coordination with local volunteers and organizations like Fundación Gastronomía Social Colombia to deliver hand-held food and hot meals. Our response also supported local chef-led ollas comunitarias (community kitchens) with equipment, protein, and other food supplies. This approach enabled us to scale quickly while supporting dignity and local leadership. In communities near the Sinú River, WCK also delivered and replenished water tanks to support households whose water sources had been compromised. We also delivered 10+ tons of food product and kitchen equipment, expanding local cooking capacity. In total,WCK distributed 528,000 meals and equivalent food product in Colombia.

Madagascar Cyclone Gezani (February - March): When Tropical Cyclone Gezani made landfall near Madagascar's second-largest city, Toamasina, in early February 2026, the storm's winds—reaching up to 143 miles per hour—ripped through neighborhoods, cut off roads, and left more than 250,000 people without reliable access to food and water. WCK's Relief Team was quickly on the ground in Toamasina, working shoulder-to-shoulder with local restaurant partners to serve nourishing, traditional meals to displaced families. WCK and 13 restaurant and catering partners served more than 220,000 chef-quality meals—alongside fruit and water—to local communities across 41 recipient locations. This marked WCK's second response in Madagascar, following our work alongside communities impacted by Cyclone Batsirai in 2022, and reflected WCK’s commitment to building trusted local relationships that allow us to show up quickly when families need it most. 

WCK also provided restaurant partners with essential kitchen equipment to help them scale meal production, including pots and industrial gas burners. This support strengthens a local business that will continue to serve its community long after the emergency ends. WCK's culinary team also worked directly with restaurant staff, providing hands-on training and capacity building to help partners expand their capabilities—building lasting resilience that prepares communities for the future.

Hawai’i Floods (March - April): In late March, heavy rains triggered a series of severe flooding events across the Hawaiian islands, prompting WCK to activate an emergency food response on O'ahu, Maui, Molokai, and Hawai'i Island. Upon arrival, we conducted targeted door-to-door meal deliveries to elderly and isolated residents in Maui, and saw that strong local community mobilization was already underway.WCK plugged in to the local response, providing funding and support to restaurants and community organizations who had already begun their own relief efforts. When a third storm struck two weeks later, WCK expanded our reach and grew our network to 11 restaurant partners to meet the rising need. Our emergency response concluded in mid-April following a community Easter event, which brought neighbors together to share food and play games as the immediate emergency phase came to a close.In total, WCK and our 45 local partners served more than 40,000 hot meals.

Super Typhoon Sinlaku (April - May): When Super Typhoon Sinlaku made landfall in the Northern Mariana Islands in mid-April, WCK teams were already in transit to Guam—monitoring the storm's trajectory days before impact in anticipation of the widespread flooding, destruction, and power outages that were sure to follow. Our Community Outreach team arrived on the islands of Saipan, Rota, and Tinian with fresh sandwiches in hand to assess the damage and identify pockets of need. Working shoulder to shoulder with 35 local restaurant partners and community organizations, we distributed meals to impacted families at public hubs, shelters, and even door to door. Each island required a distinct approach: for example, in Rota where the port was destroyed, WCK shifted from hot meals to equipping all 750 households with kitchen kits, food supplies, and butane so families could cook for themselves again. In Saipan, WCK focused on reaching seniors, families without transportation, and households without income. WCK served more than 160,000 meals via hot meals, sandwiches, and food supplies across all three islands. As the Mariana Islands transitioned to long-term recovery, the infrastructure WCK built—including community contacts, distribution networks, and vendor relationships—was handed directly to local organizations continuing recovery efforts.

Brantley Highway 82 Fire (April - May): In late April, a fast-moving wildfire in Brantley County, Georgia, grew to more than 5,000 acres in less than a day, destroying 87 homes and threatening approximately 1,000 more. The governor declared a State of Emergency, and mandatory evacuation orders displaced communities across the region. With Georgia experiencing 15 inches less rainfall than normal since September, conditions were dangerously dry and the fire remained only 15% contained. WCK's Relief Team deployed immediately, partnering with local organizations to deliver food and water to families in emergency shelters and to first responders as they fought the blazes.  What our teams found was a community already caring for itself—neighbors pitching in, families supporting one another—and WCK arrived ready to amplify that effort. Our Distribution Manager Naomie shared  "The big impression Brantley County has left on me is how much folks take care of each other… We focus on feeding first responders and filling gaps where needed, but the community is the real backbone."  In one week, our teams served 5,135 hot chef-prepared meals to families in need. This marked WCK's third climate-related response in Georgia, building on relationships forged during Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Helene in 2024.

Links:

• Recipes from the Field: Colombian Sancocho
• VIDEO: Serving meals door to door on Tinian
• CBS: WCK's work in Georgia wildfire response

World Central Kitchen (WCK) is first to the frontlines providing meals in response to climate, humanitarian, and community crises. We launched the Climate Disaster Fund in November 2021 as our decade-long commitment to raise and spend $1 billion to support communities impacted by the climate crisis. While there are unknowns for a disaster relief organization—such as when, where, or how many crises will occur—our Climate Disaster Fund gives WCK the resources to respond with the “urgency of now” on a global scale without having to wait for disaster-specific funding. We are grateful for your incredible support of our climate-related relief work. WCK responded to 14 climate crises between November 2025 and February 2026, serving more than 8 million meals to impacted communities. We are pleased to share summaries of several of our emergency responses below:

Hurricane Melissa:On October 28,Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185 mph—the most intense Atlantic hurricane of 2025 and the strongest ever to strike Jamaica. The storm brought torrential rains, devastating storm surge, and widespread destruction to communities across the island. Flooding and landslides isolated neighborhoods, while hurricane-force winds left more than 75% of the country out of power, with clean water or fresh food access also cut off. Melissa was WCK’s second hurricane response in Jamaica, following Beryl in 2024. WCK mobilized quickly in response to Hurricane Melissa to prepare for large-scale relief operations. We established two large-scale WCK kitchens in Montego Bay and Negril, and partnered with 90+ local restaurant partners throughout the island. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with local partners, we delivered hot meals and fresh Jamaican patties to impacted families at 450+ locations across Jamaica, including hard-hit Hanover, St. James, Westmoreland, Manchester, and Clarendon. WCK served more than 6.7 million nourishing meals—including Jamaican patties, stewed chicken, and fresh-caught fish—in Jamaica.

Flooding in Veracruz:In October, heavy rainfall caused by Tropical Storm Raymond inundated Mexico's Gulf Coast, with 50+ municipalities across the state of Veracruz being the hardest hit. The downpours and ensuing flooding and landslides damaged thousands of homes, flooded roads, and cut off power to entire towns. WCK responded in Veracruz immediately and began serving meals within six hours of arrival. Alongside 20+ local restaurant partners, WCK provided warm meals to residents and first responders at their homes, emergency shelters, and community centers. For regions inaccessible by road, our teams carried out aerial assessments and sandwich deliveries by helicopter, doing our utmost to provide immediate relief where it was needed most. In early November, families across Mexico celebrated Día de Muertos—a day to honor loved ones who have died. To help flood-impacted communities in Veracruz observe this important holiday, WCK teams prepared and distributed 10,000 Día de Muertos kits containing traditional foods like pan de muerto. chocolate, candles, and flowers. In total, WCK distributed just under 400,000 meals through hot plates, sandwiches, and food kits. 

Wildfires in Chile:In January, massive wildfires sparked around the city of Concepción in southern Chile and rapidly expanded across the Ñuble and Bío Bío regions and forced more than 50,000 evacuations, leaving people in shelters and causing widespread disruptions to water, power, and connectivity. The wildfires blazed in the same region where WCK carried out our first ever response in Chile nearly three years ago, and a country where we have already responded to three separate disasters. Through these previous efforts, WCK formed strong partnerships with local organizations including Fundación Gastronomía Social. In just over three weeks, WCK partnered with 11 local restaurants to distribute more than 150,000 meals across dozens of locations in the impact region.

U.S. Winter Storm: In late January, a major winter storm impacted the central and eastern U.S., bringing heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain, and very cold Arctic air. Meteorologists described it as a high-impact event affecting over 150 million people, with the heaviest snow in the central Plains through the Midwest, Appalachia, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast, and dangerous ice farther south including Texas, Oklahoma, the Lower Mississippi Valley, and the Tennessee Valley. WCK teams, in collaboration with our network of local restaurant partners and Chef Corps members, worked to serve hot meals and hot drinks to families impacted by power outages, limited access to roadways, and to emergency crews. At the height of our operations, WCK was serving 23,000 hot meals per day with the heaviest concentration of support in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. WCK also distributed meals in Arkansas, D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and Texas. From Texas to Maryland, our teams partnered with 90+ local restaurants to serve nearly 190,000 meals across eight states and DC, ensuring families had warm food as extreme cold, power outages, and dangerous conditions disrupted daily life.

We are so grateful for your support of our climate-related relief efforts!

Links:

• Supporting Jamaican Beekeepers
• Dia de Muertos Holiday Kits
• Unbox a WCK Food Kit