Just five days after Hurricane Michael struck the Florida panhandle, WCK’s Chef Relief Team has served over 45,000 meals to evacuee shelters, hard-hit communities, and emergency response teams. Our chefs were on the ground days ahead of the storm to preposition supplies and establish emergency kitchens.

Emergency Assessment

Hurricane Michael is the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall on the Florida panhandle and the third strongest hurricane to ever hit the United States. The storm has claimed the lives of 18 people, with dozens more missing. Entire communities like Mexico City beach were flattened by the 155+ mph winds, and flash flooding has cut entire communities off.

1.5 million people reported power outages
500,000 people ordered to evacuate
60,000+ sought refuge in emergency shelters

World Central Kitchen Response

Learning from our experience with Hurricane Florence, our Chef Relief Team was on the ground days before Hurricane Michael struck to preposition supplies and develop our response plan. Our team set up in the Bay County Emergency Operations Center, utilized by local fire, police, highway patrol, and search and rescue teams, in addition to the National Guard and other response units. As these teams began gearing up for long days and nights rescuing people trapped by the hurricane, our team began preparing hot meals to fuel their critical work.

With help from local emergency response agencies, we were also able to begin serving emergency shelters and communities, quickly scaling up to serve those most in need.

45,000 meals served
35 locations served

Our efforts have focused on communities like Mexico Beach, which was hit hardest by Michael. We set up a paella operation serving hundreds of community members trying to make sense of the damage to their homes and communities.

We’ve also made door-to-door deliveries to Callaway, a community next to Panama City struggling with major damage and little access to food and water. Our hot, hearty meals have included smoked BBQ pulled pork with a corn relish, lemon pepper pork chops with ginger garlic fried rice and Brussel sprouts, and homemade chili with fresh salad. As with all of our relief efforts, we prioritize serving high-quality meals with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

There is still tremendous need to support communities impacted by Hurricane Michael with the comfort of a hot meal. Donate now to help us purchase ingredients and supplies critical to our operations and help us reach our goal of 300,000 meals!

Smart Solutions to Hunger and Poverty

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