Despite slamming into a sparsely populated stretch of Florida’s western coast, Hurricane Idalia caused extensive damage in several small communities and left 200,000 people without electricity. Making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, Idalia downgraded to Category 1 as it moved towards Georgia and other southeastern states.
Idalia caused flash flooding in western Cuba before moving into the Gulf of Mexico where abnormally warm waters allowed it to intensify as it approached Florida. Evacuation orders were issued for several counties in the state, including ones still recovering from Hurricane Ian which devastated the region last year.
WCK teams spread across western Florida ahead of the storm and began providing sandwiches, fruit, and water and assessing food needs immediately after the storm passed. Our teams set up operations centers in Gainesville and Tallahassee and worked with restaurant and food truck partners to distribute warm, nourishing meals in small communities in Florida and Georgia.
Food Truck Partners
Distribution Sites
in two different states
Meals
El Orgullo Latino Kitchen
El Orgullo Latino Kitchen was one of the food trucks that worked with us to serve meals in the aftermath of Idalia. Their team has a lot to be proud of, from their delicious food to their business itself—which is entirely owned and operated by Latina women. This is their fifth response with WCK and they have worked with us all over the state of Florida, always ready to jump in when there is need.
Michael from Perry
Michael is the superintendent of the Everett’s Mobile Home Park and he has lived in Perry, FL his whole life. While chopping up the downed trees on the property, he told our team that he had never seen a storm like Idalia.
Grinnin’ Possum
Another food truck partner—Grinnin’ Possum—run by Chef Joey and his wife, Anna, helped us serve the people of Valdosta, GA. Joey drove from Valdosta down to Jacksonville, FL just to get the shrimp for their shrimp and grits, showing just how much heart they put into feeding their community.
