WCK supports communities in Poland and Czech Republic after severe flooding

Relief Team supports families impacted by Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Milton hits storm ravaged Florida

WCK responding to severe flooding in Spain

WCK mobilizes in Mexico after Hurricane John

Storm Ernesto hits Puerto Rico and Bermuda

Multiple southern California wildfires force evacuations

Louisiana bears the brunt of Hurricane Francine

Supporting five countries impacted by Hurricane Beryl

Flooding in Bangladesh impacted millions

Feeding families impacted by conflict in the Middle East

WCK & local partners support Haitians amid widespread unrest

WCK response to Hurricane Debby

WCK response to wildfires in Athens

Relief Team in Japan after powerful quake

Wildfires in the Mescalero Apache Reservation & New Mexico

WCK responded in southern Brazil during historic flooding

Fearing for safety, thousands of families flee their homes in Ukraine

WCK in St. Vincent following volcano eruption

Relief Team responds to massive Texas wildfire

Torrential rains cause catastrophic flooding in Vermont

WCK serving refugee families at the US-Mexico border

Dozens killed as violence in Gaza flares

Hurricane Julia causes deadly flooding and landslides in South and Central America

Category 4 Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Louisiana

Relief Team in Tennessee after devastating tornadoes

Wildfires in Chile caused widespread destruction

We Fed an Island: WCK’s Hurricane Maria response

Powerful quakes devastate communities in Türkiye and Syria

Hurricane Idalia hits Florida and Georgia

Earthquakes in Afghanistan destroy rural villages

Catastrophic floods displace thousands in Assam, India

WCK prepares in Iceland ahead of potential volcanic eruption

Deadliest blizzard in decades hits Buffalo

WCK mobilizes across southern US after devastating storms

Unpredictable winds spread fires across northern New Mexico

Back-to-back storms ravage California

WCK's Covid-19 Response

Fresh meals for Afghan refugees

Severe floods force families in central Chile to evacuate

6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes Northern California

WCK responds to Venezuelan refugee crisis

Relief Team responds to refugee crisis in Armenia

Record-breaking rains in South Africa

Oak Fire forces thousands in Central California to evacuate

Deadly 5.9-magnitude earthquake strikes Afghanistan

Wind-fueled fires followed by snow in Colorado

US Tornado Response

Horrific supermarket shooting in Buffalo, New York

Cyclone Batsirai makes landfall in Madagascar

Heat wave sparks fires across Spain

Hawaiʻi wildfires displace thousands

WCK Responds to 7.2 Earthquake in Haiti

Heatwave-fueled wildfires across Greece

Historic volcano eruption in La Palma

Community shattered after elementary school shooting in Texas

Weeks of heavy rains lead to catastrophic flooding in Australia

Overnight rains bring catastrophic flooding to eastern Kentucky

Extreme weather causes deadly flash flooding in eastern Afghanistan

Devastating quake strikes Morocco

Hurricane Fiona causes catastrophic damage from the Caribbean to Canada

Category 5 Hurricane Dorian devastates The Bahamas

Super Typhoon Rai devastates the Philippines

Underwater volcano erupts near Tonga

Historic hurricane makes landfall in Mexico

Floods affect millions in Bangladesh

More than 200 wildfires burn across Chile

Ongoing torrential rains leave a third of Pakistan inundated

WCK responds to Covid surge in India

Floods & mudslides ravage Petrópolis, Brazil

Heavy rains and flooding in Brazil

Deadly floods & landslides in Pernambuco, Brazil

Atmospheric rivers pose challenges in Western Canada

WCK responds in Mexico after Hurricane Otis

Tenerife wildfire threatens multiple communities

California snow storms leave families stranded throughout San Bernardino County

Tornado ravages Selma, Alabama

Deadly tornadoes rip through southern US

Remnants of Typhoon Merbok hit Alaska’s coastal communities hard

Nationwide protests left migrants and refugees stranded in Panama

Hurricane Ian slams into Florida as a near Category-5 storm

Heavy rains and flooding exacerbate water crisis in Mississippi

100,000 meals served in Del Rio, Texas

Media Resources

Latest News

All WCK photos are offered under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit the Creative Commons site. Please use attribution: “Photo credit to World Central Kitchen/WCK.org.”

Photo Gallery

You can reach WCK’s press team at press@wck.org. 

For real-time updates on our work, please see our social feeds:
@WCKitchen on Instagram and Twitter and /worldcentralkitchen on Facebook.

Press Contact

High quality photography and videography is an integral part of World Central Kitchen's approach to storytelling. As our teams deploy worldwide, we are always looking for local photographers and videographers who can join our Response Corps as an independent contractor whenever needed to capture the work on the ground. The nature of our work is unpredictable, so submitting your information is not a guarantee that we will reach out.

Call for Photographers & Videographers

Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines providing fresh meals in response to crises. Applying our model of quick action, leveraging local resources, and adapting in real time, WCK has served more than 400 million nourishing meals around the world.

When disaster strikes, WCK’s Relief Team mobilizes with the urgency of now to start cooking and serving meals to people in need. By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of local restaurants, food trucks, and emergency kitchens, WCK serves comforting meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively. To support regional economies, WCK prioritizes purchasing local ingredients to cook with or distribute directly to families in need. 

We know that good food provides not only nourishment, but also comfort and hope, especially in times of crisis. Learn more at wck.org.

Apoya el trabajo de WCK en España - Aporta a través de Bizum en la opción de donación para ONG utilizando el código 03843

Since October 2023, World Central Kitchen has distributed more than 75 million meals in Gaza to families impacted by escalating conflict in the region. Conditions in Gaza have become increasingly unpredictable, and our teams are working to adapt our response to ensure we can continue providing nourishing meals to communities in need. We are honored to earn two Gold Anthem Awards for our efforts in the Middle East: one for our innovative stoves in Gaza, and one for our humanitarian aid to Gaza by air, land, and sea.

The awards seek to amplify the voices that spark global change and define a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities. "Driving communications at World Central Kitchen means having privilege and responsibility every day to bring incredible stories to life for our audiences," said Linda Roth, WCK's Chief Communications Officer.

WCK teams in Gaza are working hard to support communities across Gaza despite the logistical challenges—the lack of available cooking fuel on the ground is one of these obstacles. This led WCK, with the help of Palestinian team members and local manufacturers in Egypt, to develop purpose-built stoves that use wood pellets as fuel and solar-powered fans to stoke the flames. These stoves have become lifelines for Palestinians, helping people safely and reliably cook for themselves.

WCK Earns Two Gold Anthem Awards for Innovative Work in Gaza

Palestinians have run out of fuel to use for cooking, so many people have turned to using makeshift stoves that burn wood they can find. Aid organizations are not allowed to include typical fuel for stoves on our trucks into Gaza, so WCK teams worked with engineers and local manufacturers to design a pellet stove we can distribute instead. The stove uses wooden pellets for clean & efficient cooking to help families make hot meals for themselves and their communities. #ChefsForThePeople #WCK #WorldCentralKitchen #nonprofit #humanitarianaid #food 

Leading Humanitarian Aid to Gaza by Air, Land, and Sea

Since October, World Central Kitchen has been calling for more access points to Gaza to open for humanitarian aid. Alongside local and international partners, we are working to ensure as much food as possible reaches communities facing starvation.

WCK has participated in several airdrops of humanitarian aid into northern Gaza in partnership with the air forces of several countries. In an airdrop in March alongside the Royal Jordanian Air Force, we provided 52,700 meals, totaling 15 tons of aid, to Palestinian families in war-torn communities. WCK and our founder José Andrés have been tirelessly pushing to establish faster, more reliable entry for food aid going to Gaza. Access of aid into northern Gaza is extremely limited and airdrops offer a lifeline to families on the brink of famine. “Food airdrops are a short, temporary, but powerful way to deliver some food to the north,” said José.

On November 15, 2024, WCK trucks were able to travel to deliver desperately needed supplies into northern Gaza for the first time in 10 weeks. Our long-time partner on the ground, Anera, used these supplies to assemble family-sized food kits that were distributed to communities of displaced Palestinians from Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun.

Our teams across the region also worked nonstop for months with the support of the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus to open a maritime aid route into Gaza. We sourced and loaded food onto boats in Cyprus and built our own jetty in Gaza using rubble, including from bombed buildings, to safely unload cargo. Our first maritime aid shipment provided almost 200 tons of food to communities in northern Gaza—this was the first humanitarian shipment to reach the Gazan coast in nearly two decades.

How WCK sent desperately needed food by sea to Gaza

Help us continue supporting communities in need.

WCK Earns Two Anthem Awards for Innovative Work in Gaza

In Ukraine, seniors are showing strength and persevering in unfathomable challenges. Across the country, many older residents are enduring life in villages once under Russian occupation or heavy bombardment, staying in homes that are damaged or without basic utilities. World Central Kitchen is committed to delivering food kits, hot meals, and clean water to seniors who remain in their homes. Our deliveries offer a lifeline; in the process, they offer us inspiration.

Meet three seniors tapping remarkable strength to persevere in Ukraine: WCK reaches Ukraine’s seniors

Nina, a great-grandmother from Arkhangelske in the Kherson region, embodies a spirit of resilience and love for those she holds dear. When the Russians invaded, she made the heart-wrenching decision to stay behind, even as her family fled, because she couldn’t bear to abandon her small farm and animals. "I was born here," she said, explaining her bond to the land and its creatures.

Staying came at a heavy cost. While cleaning up debris after an attack, Nina stepped on a mine, ultimately losing an eye and her hearing and sustaining serious injuries. With no access to adequate medical care, she took on her recovery alone–setting her broken leg herself. She relies on the help of her granddaughter. Despite these losses, she finds joy in the presence of her great-granddaughter, a bright light in her life.

After initially rebuilding her home from damage caused by shelling, Nina’s house was struck again in the summer, this time forcing her to move in with nearby relatives. WCK still brings food to Nina and her new surrounding community, ensuring they feel supported and cared for.

In the nearby village of Knyazivka, Nadiya and her husband returned after de-occupation to find their home destroyed. "With all the debris, there wasn’t even a spot to sit down," Nadiya said. They began to rebuild while living in their 40-square-foot summer kitchen, the only part of the house inhabitable. For Nadiya, the WCK food deliveries have been a crucial source of support as they work to repair their home. "Even one food kit makes all the difference," she explains. 

Kateryna, our Regional Lead for the Kherson region and Kryvyi Rih, has a similar experience in her work at WCK. She’s witnessed the strength of the seniors who remain in war-damaged homes. "These communities were located along the frontline, so the destruction here is immense," she said. "While younger people often manage to leave, seniors stay, living in garages, annexes, or sheds when their homes are too damaged to repair." 

"The resilience of Kherson’s people is astounding," Katya explains. "We provide them with food kits, which make a huge difference, especially for those who can no longer cook or shop for themselves." 

Katya and her team face serious logistical challenges as they work to provide food and water to isolated communities. They tackle these obstacles with determination, often driving long distances on rugged, war-damaged roads to reach settlements that are far from major cities and rarely receive aid. “Unfortunately, we can’t solve the problem of bad roads,” Katya says, “so we just head out and help.”

The northern Chernihiv region has also been afflicted by heavy fighting, leaving many senior residents in similar situations. Olha took shelter in her basement during an attack in March 2022. Doing so saved her life, but the rest of her house was destroyed by the nighttime shelling. 

Julia is the Regional Lead for Kherson’s southern region and Mykolaiv. Her team delivers food and clean water to the people most at risk in these regions.

"In some places, neighbors come together to cook for multiple households," Julia explains. "I’ve seen a young woman in Dniprovske cooking over an open fire (due to the lack of electricity or gas) for her neighbors who are unable to cook for themselves because of their age or health limitations. It has become a kind of mini-community kitchen, where two or three households support one another."

The lack of utilities and infrastructure in these areas make food deliveries vital. "We strive to provide multifaceted assistance," said Julia. "Along with food kits, we deliver bread and drinking water, both of which are essential. In the hardest-hit areas, families have no other way to access clean water."

With winter approaching, the need for food and clean water has never been more urgent for seniors. Many people are living in homes without functioning or reliable electricity and heat, and WCK is steadfast in our commitment to deliver critical aid. We’re distributing hot meals and essential food kits, including seasonal vegetable packages that empower families to cook for themselves. We’re also providing clean water for drinking and meal preparation. While the challenges can change, our mindset doesn’t. We’re continuously evolving and tackling challenges to address the needs of those at greatest risk, including seniors. 

Supporting evacuation routes across Ukraine

Watch to learn about evacuations from frontline regions and meet more seniors navigating the difficult circumstances of war. 

Help us support families and seniors living in Ukraine.

Mucho más que José Andrés en WCK: decenas de cocineros y cientos de voluntarios, como Rosalía, reparten comida caliente a los afectados por la dana

Mucho más que José Andrés en WCK

[Press] El Pais 11.7

WCK’s Relief Team is en route to Ventura County, California where the skies are blazing orange because of the Mountain Fire. We will be assessing food and water needs as the fire spreads. The county says the fire is currently at 14,500 acres with 0% containment. Nearly one thousand fire firefighters are working on the blaze - on the ground and by air. 

We are contacting local partners to determine how best to support residents affected by the fires and emergency personnel battling the flames. Hundreds of homes are under threat and evacuation orders remain in place. An evacuation center has been set up in Camarillo for people and a large animal evacuation center is at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

This remains a quickly evolving situation. You can sign up to our newsletter to receive more information and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for real time updates.

WCK en route to Mountain Fire in California

Help us support families impacted by wildfires.

WCK’s Relief Team is en route to Ventura County, California where the skies are blazing orange because of the Mountain Fire. We are contacting local partners to determine how best to support residents affected by the fires and emergency personnel battling the flames.

WCK en route to California in response to Mountain Fire

WCK California Mountain Fire

WCK’s Relief Team is in Spain to see how we can best assist communities impacted by severe flooding along the Mediterranean coast.  

WCK Relief Team members are en route to help meet the communities’ needs for food and water. More than a month's worth of rain fell in a day, flooding roads and homes, breaching rivers, and destroying crops along the Mediterranean coast. Spain’s meteorological agency said one station recorded the heaviest rainfall in a 24-hour period in Valencia since 1996. Over 100,000 households are without electricity.

WCK’s Chef Oli is assembling a team to travel to the impacted areas today.

WCK in Spain in the midst of severe flooding

Help us support families impacted by severe flooding.

World Central Kitchen’s Relief Team arrived in Guerrero just hours after Hurricane John made its second landfall as a Category 3 storm on Mexico’s Pacific Coast—the eye passing just north of the tourist hub and capital city of Acapulco. The ‘zombie storm’ made itself known just days earlier, returning to batter a long stretch of coastline. Our team, led primarily by local people, quickly procured tortas and water and loaded them into helicopters, boats, and vehicles to scout the area for the hardest hit communities. Nearly a year after Hurricane Otis hit Acapulco, Hurricane John ravaged an even wider area, impacting the coast from Costa Chica to Costa Grande and reaching inland to the mountains of Chilpancingo de los Bravo—a stretch of more than 130 miles of mountainous coastline peppered with rural villages. 

Despite challenges posed by the terrain and landslides that impacted the region for weeks following the storm, WCK has provided more than 878,000 meals through 143 distribution points reached by land, air, and water. 

WCK blankets Mexico's Pacific Coast after 'zombie storm' - Hurricane John

The bulk of meals we distribute across the enormous affected area come from our Field Kitchen in Acapulco. WCK teams built the kitchen in just three days. 

What’s even more remarkable than the swift opening is the work happening under its tented roof every day. WCK staff, volunteers, cleaners, maintenance specialists, equipment and food loaders, distribution team members, cooks, and logistical coordinators work in concert to create 20,000 meals a day for Acapulco and surrounding towns.

Our daily meal count jumps to 43,000 with the support of 23 restaurant partners from Chilpancingo, Acapulco, and Ometepec—most of which also partnered with WCK last year after Hurricane Otis. Once meals are ready, drivers and volunteers pull up with 80 vans for pick up and then they deliver the food to distribution points where meals are served. Drivers then return with the insulated storage containers to ready them for the next day. “The drivers and volunteers learned last year to work with dignity, to keep things very clean, and most importantly, to work with love and a big smile while delivering the meals,” Ale, our Distribution Coordinator, shares.

When local people recognized the WCK logo in Guerrero again, they immediately began offering support following Hurricane John. “Acapulco will always remember World Central Kitchen, you are our angels,” says Jacqueline, a volunteer who worked with us last year.

Like Jacqueline, Chef Corps member Eduardo “Lalo” Palazuelos once again stepped up to support the community of Acapulco. He first cooked alongside WCK after Hurricane Otis. His restaurant Zibu is a restaurant partner, and Chef Lalo helps us make critical connections within the local community.

Local support is core to our efforts.The area affected by Hurricane John is much larger, and in many cases, more remote than areas we served after Hurricane Otis. The task is daunting, but Activation Manager Juan Camilo, pictured in the center above with Chef Ale and Chef Oli  continually reminds everyone: “There's no big or small place, only people that need to eat. We feed 1,000 and also people in the most remote areas.” 

Scouting and meal distribution methods in Acapulco after Hurricane John

The small town of Barrio Nuevo La Laja, one of the remote areas Juan Camilio refers to, lost its only access to the main road after their bridge collapsed into the river during Hurricane John, just as it did during Hurricane Otis. Last year, after walking food in buckets across the river to families in Barrio Nuevo La Laja, WCK worked alongside local residents to rebuild the bridge. The repair restored access to the isolated community and allowed our teams to safely deliver hot meals day after day.

Now, the bridge is rubble once again. Youth from the village are walking WCK meals across the high and swift river waters fed by steady rains in the area. Until the bridge is repaired, this is the only way to get essential food and water to residents, many of whom are seniors who cannot cross the river. 

In Aguas Blancas, about an hour northwest of Acapulco, WCK is delivering 200 hot meals daily at two distribution points. With roads still flooded or muddy, we’re delivering meals directly to seniors who are unable to leave their homes.

“I’ve lost all my belongings; my house got covered by water in minutes,” says María Aurora, a resident of Aguas Blancas whose house was flooded when the nearby river overflowed. “Thank God that I could take shelter on the upper floor of my house.”

In El Embarcadero, a small town surrounded by a picturesque lagoon, WCK delivers 900 hot meals daily. This area is facing new challenges in the wake of Hurricane John—the river and lake overflowed causing significant damage to many homes. Residents are still in the process of recovery and clean up. 

Mireya offers her home as a delivery point for neighbors to collect food: “I’ve been through many hardships in my life; I know how it feels to go without food for your family. I love giving back, and now is the time.” From the first days after the flooding, Mireya and her family have been providing comforting WCK meals to people in need.

María and her daughter are among the dedicated volunteers helping deliver meals. “Last year, Hurricane Otis hit us really hard, and now, a year later, our town has been affected again. We still haven't fully recovered,” María notes. “We want to help our community once more; in these situations, you can really see how we all come together.” 

In Ometepec, located about six hours from Acapulco in Costa Chica, WCK partners with Daniel, a restaurant owner who cooks and delivers 1,300 meals a day. Daniel, who worked with us last year in our primary Field Kitchen, owns a family restaurant called Jardín de Tabachines. Teams distribute the meals prepared at Jardín de Tabachines to several  locations, including Punta Maldonado, Tecoyame (Oaxaca), and Playa Ventura—some of the most remote and hardest hit areas in Guerrero.

It’s challenging to access these locations due to poor road conditions and their distance from larger cities. WCK scouts helped identify the urgent needs in this region. Many coastal towns experienced significant damage from strong winds and heavy rains, impacting both homes and the local infrastructure. Electricity in this area was just restored, allowing neighbors to work together to clean up and rebuild. The process will take time. We remain committed to supporting hard to reach communities during their recovery.

We’re supporting Punta Maldonado with 500 hot meals each day.

Thanks to the help of Ana, the commissioner of Punta Maldonado (pictured with our Community Outreach Leader Brian), we also deliver 200 meals a day to the nearby town of Tecoyame, Oaxaca, which sustained damage in Hurricane John and the subsequent storms. 

In Pico del Monte, the primary income streams stem from the harvesting of peanuts, coconut, and shrimp. Shrimping has come to a halt, leaving local fishermen concerned about the future of their catch and costs associated with rebuilding. “The heavy rains and winds caused significant damage to our community; some of us don’t even have a roof,” says Óscar. “We lack the funds to rebuild our homes, and many of us can’t even access essential groceries.”

The community is currently isolated and without electricity. To help, we are delivering 600 hot daily meals with the support of community members. They’re assisting with serving meals, cleaning up, and loading our insulated containers full of food. While in Pico del Monte, Activation Manager, Juan Camilo announced the delivery of our 500,000th meal in Mexico following Hurricane John. 

Due to difficult road conditions in the area, we are using boats to deliver meals from the nearby community of Chautengo. Two boats transport food safely and efficiently to the lakeside communities as Chautengo, Llano de la Barra, and Pico del Monte are all situated around the same lake. 

Don Sergio is one of the drivers that helps WCK deliver meals every day from Acapulco to other locations across the widespread affected areas we serve. He was born and raised in Acapulco and has worked as a taxi driver and a tour guide for more than three decades. He’s passionate about his job and loves telling passengers stories about his city. He refers to himself as a “human GPS” because he’s the go-to expert on getting around. “I know every little corner of this city,” he’s quick to say.

“Acapulco is currently going through a complicated situation, there’s more insecurity on the streets and we, the drivers, don’t have the jobs that we used to have, tourists are not coming as they used to do,” he shares. 

Sergio's home was damaged last year by Hurricane Otis, but that was not the first time he faced disaster. His house was also affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake of 2021, and again during Hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel in 2013. Over the years, Sergio has endured many catastrophic events in Acapulco. “I have experienced the worst and the best of Acapulco,” he reflects.

Sergio worked with WCK last year bringing hope and a big smile every day, embodying the WCK spirit of seeing the good even in disastrous situations. 

A daily stop on Sergio’s route is the Colonia Libertad shelter, where more than 500 people were staying for fear of landslides before Hurricane John hit their community. Doña Julia is taking shelter in her daughter’s home next to the shelter in Colonia La Libertad. Her home is on the hillside of the mountain, and she is scared that the rains may cause landslides and destroy her home.

“My neighbor passed away when his home was destroyed due to the landslide,” she says. “I don’t feel safe in my own home, I never thought that this would happen to me.” Doña Julia has already rebuilt her home once following Hurricane Paulina in 1997.

The Martinez Family is sheltering in the school of Colonia La Libertad. “We don’t have a home anymore, what are we going to do now?” Seven members of the family are sleeping and spending the long days in the school-turned-shelter. “Thanks to our friends and neighbors we have received clothes and basic supplies, but we don’t have the most important thing, our home,” they share. They explain that, because their home is adjacent to a landslide, the local authorities have advised them tnot to return..

WCK’s past efforts in Acapulco informed our work in response to Hurricane John. The knowledge, connections, and friends made in the wake of Hurricane Otis positioned our teams to begin serving communities in need immediately after Hurricane John cleared Mexico’s rugged Pacific Coast. With the enduring spirit of the local people and their commitment to helping one another, the area will recover. Acapulco, its culinary community, and local families will emerge stronger than ever before. 

Click the map to explore more of our response to Hurricane John along the coast of Guerrero.

Help WCK provide hot meals to families recovering from natural disasters.

Despite challenges posed by the terrain and landslides that have impacted the region for weeks following the storm, WCK has provided more than 800,000 meals to date to more than 40 distribution points by land, air, and water. 

WCK blankets Mexico's Pacific Coast after 'zombie storm' Hurricane John

On October 25, we welcomed First Lady Jill Biden and Governor Roy Cooper to World Central Kitchen’s operations in Asheville, North Carolina to share where WCK has been feeding residents impacted by Hurricane Helene. Together with WCK Founder, Chef José Andrés, Dr. Biden volunteered at WCK’s Relief Kitchen at Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ and at Ben’s Tune Up, WCK’s walk-up meal, fruit, and water distribution site and met with WCK's Chef Jamie McDonald, member of WCK's Relief Team and co-owner of Bear's Smokehouse BBQ.

First Lady Jill Biden Visits World Central Kitchen in Asheville

With 84 restaurant partners in North Carolina and Tennessee, we’ve served 979,976 meals to date in the southeastern US. Given the ongoing challenges with water access, we’ve also channeled our efforts to distribute more than 768,000 gallons of potable water in North Carolina alone. Communities are extremely grateful for the support we’ve provided, and are also eager to get back on their feet and become self-sufficient.

In areas like Swannanoa, Hendersonville, Burnsville, Marshall, Yancey County, and more, power and water restoration is slowest, and we expect our support to be needed there for longer. World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore echoed this need during the visit, saying “We are grateful for the opportunity to host First Lady Jill Biden at our relief sites today in Asheville and shine an important spotlight on the dire need in this community and throughout the region. On the ground in Asheville and across North Carolina, thousands of people are continuing to line up for a meal each day. Potable water is severely lacking and restaurants and businesses are slowly beginning to reopen. However, it’s been beautiful to see this resilient community come together during this extremely difficult time and offer each other support as they get back on their feet.”

For more photos and video, please see our Media Kit.

José Andrés on Instagram: "We @wckitchen are so excited to welcome @flotus and @roycoopernc to our kitchens in Asheville today! Here together at Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ and then Ben’s Tune Up where side by side..together with the local community... our teams are cooking around the clock to feed people in need after #HurricaneHelene. Our work is far from over...we will keep supporting North Carolina on their road to recovery! #ChefsForNorthCarolina"

Help us support families in North Carolina and Tennessee impacted by Hurricane Helene.

On October 25, we welcomed First Lady Jill Biden and Governor Roy Cooper to World Central Kitchen’s operations in Asheville, North Carolina to share where WCK has been feeding residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.

First Lady Jill Biden visits Asheville, World Central Kitchen after Helene

Fiona Donovan, director of operations at World Central Kitchen and founder José Andrés, show First Lady Jill Biden the areas the organization is serving in North Carolina and Tennessee in response to the devastation Tropical Storm Helene at Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ in Asheville, October 25, 2024.