Climate Disaster Fund

by World Central Kitchen, Inc.
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Climate Disaster Fund
Climate Disaster Fund
Climate Disaster Fund

Project Report | Jun 28, 2024
WCK's Climate Disaster Fund June 2024 Update

By Evan Cameron | Associate, Development Writing

Chef Alejandro stokes the barbecue in Porto Alegre
Chef Alejandro stokes the barbecue in Porto Alegre

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” without having to wait for disaster-specific funding. We are extremely grateful for your generous support of our climate-related relief work. Thanks to your support, WCK responded to three climate crises between March and June 2024, serving more than 670,000 meals to impacted communities.

 

Texas Wildfires (February - March 2024): Beginning in late February 2024, a series of blazing wildfires ignited along the Texas panhandle region. The fires—fueled by high winds, dry conditions, and record heat—expanded too rapidly to contain, causing major destruction to the communities in its path. The largest of the blazes, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, became the second largest wildfire in Texas history. WCK identified the communities of Canadian, Fritch, Borger, and Stinnett as places in need of support thanks to guidance from the local culinary community. Members of our Relief Team were in the region for two weeks, working to deliver delicious hot meals made by local restaurants to people impacted by the fires. In total, WCK served more than 4,200 meals.

 

Brazil Flooding (April 2024 - Current): Beginning in late April, severe rainfall inundated Brazil's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul. Widespread flooding claimed casualties, displaced up to half a million people from their homes, and destroyed or damaged vital infrastructure (houses, roads, bridges, airports, etc.). WCK’s Relief Team arrived in Porto Alegre on May 24, and immediately began working alongside local organizations on the ground to scout and assess the food support needs. WCK has implemented a targeted response to support the communities most in need and often overlooked by other relief efforts. Our operations are headquartered at the WCK Relief Kitchen in Porto Alegre and are supported by partnerships with over 30 local restaurants and food trucks. Local restaurant and NGO partnerships have played a critical role in scaling up both our daily meal and geographic distribution capacities, ensuring meals reach all families in need. To date, WCK has served over 665,000 meals to people impacted by the severe flooding.

 

New Mexico Wildfires (June 2024 - Current): Ignited by similar weather conditions as in the Texas Panhandle, the Salt and South Fork wildfires have engulfed over 25,000 acres of land in central New Mexico. The two fires have encircled the town of Ruidoso, NM, displacing local residents from their homes. In total, more than 8,000 local residents have been under evacuation orders and over 23,000 structures have been destroyed. The fires have proven difficult to contain—a problem compounded by flash flooding in the region that has complicated emergency relief and evacuation efforts. WCK’s Relief Team landed in the area on June 19 and immediately began distributing fresh food and clean water to the local population and first responders in Ruidoso, Roswell, El Capitan, Alamogordo, and the Mescalero Reservation—home to over 4,000 Native Americans. Working closely with the Red Cross and local restaurants, WCK is constantly adapting to the changing landscape and providing meals where they are needed most. Through late June, WCK has served more than 19,000 meals to communities impacted by the fires and flooding.

 

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

WCK food truck serving tacos in Fritch, TX
WCK food truck serving tacos in Fritch, TX
WCK teams up with local restaurants in New Mexico
WCK teams up with local restaurants in New Mexico

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Organization Information

World Central Kitchen, Inc.

Location: Washington, DC - USA
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Twitter: @wckitchen
Project Leader:
Daniel Poole
Washington , DC United States

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