PayPal: Standing With Communities When It Matters Most

When wildfires swept through greater Los Angeles in January 2025, PayPal was one of the first organizations to step up to support WCK’s response efforts. With a $1 million gift, PayPal helped WCK deliver immediate food relief to evacuees, first responders, and small businesses in devastated communities like Altadena. In those critical early hours, their partnership helped ensure that no one went without a meal while their world was turning upside down.

That coordinated response was recognized at the 2026 Engage for Good conference, where PayPal, WCK, the LA Fire Department Foundation, and GoFundMe.org received a Gold Halo Award for Best Emergency/Disaster Response Initiative. This April, PayPal marked the one-year anniversary of the wildfires with a $200,000 gift to WCK’s Climate Disaster Fund, ensuring we are ready to respond as wildfires and climate disasters grow more frequent and more destructive around the world.

PayPal’s support of WCK extends well beyond any single response. Through the PayPal Giving Fund, WCK has raised more than $22 million from generous donors around the world. It is a partnership built on shared urgency, shared values, and a commitment to showing up when communities need it most. We’re grateful to have PayPal alongside us.

Interested in joining our growing community of impact-driven partners? Contact Michael Mertz, Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations, at mmertz@wck.org to learn more.

Meet WCK’s Meal Miler, Julie McEvoy: Turning Miles Into Meals

Julie McEvoy describes herself as “more of a desk jockey than an elite athlete”, making her decision to run the Boston Marathon all the more meaningful. When friends and family questioned her ambition, she had a simple answer: she was running to raise funds for World Central Kitchen and to help feed neighbors in need. That answer turned skepticism into enthusiastic support.

And Julie delivered. She raised over $37,000 for WCK, a truly remarkable achievement that will ensure meals reach communities facing humanitarian crises around the world.

“It was truly an honor to run for WCK, and an experience I will never forget.” — Julie McEvoy

Julie is part of WCK’s Meal Milers, a diverse community of runners who lace up at events across the country to champion our mission on and off the course. From seasoned marathoners to first-time racers, Meal Milers share one finish line: fueling WCK’s work to support communities in need.

Looking to run with us in 2026? Apply now for the Marine Corps or Valencia Meal Milers teams: wck.org/run-for-wck

Reach out to Matt Tripsas, Director of Community Fundraising, at matthew@wck.org to learn how you can bring your community together to support WCK or host a fundraising event.

Feeding People in Need: A Mission That Speaks for Itself

Meet Robert C. Anderson, a WCK donor whose giving is rooted in something simple and powerful: a belief that the most fundamental acts of generosity are the ones that ask for nothing in return.

What inspired you to support World Central Kitchen?

Through viewing many cooking shows over the years, I became familiar with Chef Andrés.  When he spoke I felt “this is a good man, one with integrity and a good heart.” When learning of WCK and their operation, I was impressed by the organization’s simple mission: “FEED PEOPLE IN NEED” anywhere in the world, period.  

I have donated to a number of charities for many years but NONE this fundamental and visible.  I began to do my part by contributing.

Is there a specific WCK activation or story that has resonated with you?

Using local people and resources as the core of feeding people made so much sense.  Employ local people to contribute to the economy through sourcing local resources whenever possible. 

What does giving back mean to you?

Giving back means that you support and nurture that which speaks to your values.  Seeking nothing tangible in return, one “pays it forward” to his/her fellow man; to the planet.

If you could describe WCK’s impact in one word, what would it be?

ALTRUISM.  Leading by example is one of the strongest ways of teaching others what agenda-less, selfless acts can accomplish, perhaps spawning others to follow the example.

Anything else you’d like to share?

In my life I find that those with the least tend to give the most proportionately, empathically knowing first hand what being “in need” is all about.  Those who have been fortunate enough to enjoy a high standard of living often do not understand that they are a hair’s breath from being that person with nothing. If you landed there would you want assistance?  A hot meal?

Reach out to Tracy Ganti, Vice President, Development at tganti@wck.org to learn how you can support WCK.