FedEx and LifeStraw Bringing Relief to the Marianas

When Super Typhoon Sinlaku tore through the Northern Mariana Islands in April, it left a trail of damaged homes, disrupted utilities, and urgent community needs across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. World Central Kitchen (WCK) mobilized immediately, partnering with local restaurants, volunteers, and community groups to guide the relief effort.

However, because of the islands’ remote location in the middle of the Pacific, critical resources often had to cross an ocean to reach those in need. In these challenging logistics landscapes, supplies have farther to travel, routes are limited, and there is no room for delay.

This is where FedEx stepped in. As a longstanding supporter of WCK, FedEx provided the vital logistics network needed to rapidly transport cookware, heavy equipment, and relief supplies.

As teams navigated the islands, clean water quickly emerged as the most critical priority. Saipan was under strict boil-water advisories, and only a third of the island had running water. While WCK provided bottled water with every meal, remote households required a more sustainable solution.

To meet this challenge, LifeStraw donated advanced filtration kits, which were packed at WCK’s Relief Operations Center and flown by FedEx to Guam before arriving in the Northern Marianas.

Ultimately, seventy-five of these filtration kits reached the islands’ only hospital, where physicians directed them to the most vulnerable patients. Among them were individuals at the Northern Marianas Oncology Center; for these immuno-compromised patients undergoing chemotherapy, access to safe, clean water was a matter of life-saving urgency.

In times of disaster, an effective response is about more than just moving cargo—it is about delivering the right resources to the right people at the right moment. FedEx’s Delivering for Good initiative and LifeStraw’s generous donation ensured that families across the Northern Mariana Islands had safe water when they needed it most.

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.

Biking 24 Hours for WCK – Andres Manduca

When back-to-back earthquakes struck the coast of Venezuela on June 24, 17-year-old Andres Manduca was looking for a way to help. He turned to the thing he already loved. Andres, who was born in Venezuela and returns often to visit family, is a competitive rower and endurance athlete. He decided to ride a stationary bike for 24 consecutive hours on the patio of Amy’s Ice Creams in Austin, TX, livestreaming the whole thing on Twitch and Instagram, with every dollar raised going to WCK’s Climate & Natural Disaster Fund in support of our Venezuela earthquake response.

The idea came from home with Andres’s mother, Trilce Mago, pointing him toward WCK. Once he saw that our teams were already on the ground feeding earthquake survivors, the connection to Venezuela made the choice easy. At the end of a very long day, Andres raised over $21,000 for WCK and helped tell our story to his Austin community.

“This is my kind of spin on it. I love doing things like this. It’s kind of my way of helping.” – Andres Manduca

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.

Hope for the Island: A Donor’s Personal Connection to WCK

1. What inspired you to support World Central Kitchen? 

As a foodie, I have followed José and his career for many years. 2017: WCK in Houston for Hurricane Harvey

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

As a native Puerto Rican, the heroic WCK efforts during Hurricane Maria. Seeing WCK on the ground gave me hope for my island. 

3. What does giving back mean to you? 

Giving back means everything. No one makes it alone. At different times in my life, I have needed a hand. Now that I am able to help, I feel it is my duty, responsibility, and pure privilege to do so. And the absolute joy of giving back is real. 

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

Care.

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