Communities coming together in New Mexico and Mescalero Apache Reservation
World Central Kitchen has been supporting families impacted by wildfires and flooding New Mexico and the Mescalero Apache Reservation for over a week. Working alongside local food truck and restaurant partners, we have served more than 16,200 meals in the region.
Evacuations have now been lifted for Ruidoso and surrounding towns, and many people are returning to see if their homes withstood the fires. Two of the shelters that WCK was providing meals for have closed, and the Red Cross has instead opened a temporary camp to provide housing and meals to people whose homes are damaged.
Right now, WCK is continuing to feed first responders and residents returning to the evacuated areas. Firefighters, working nonstop to control the fires, are especially grateful for our support. “First responders appreciated the new variety of food we came in to offer,” said Peter, WCK’s response lead on the ground in New Mexico. “The food trucks are also happy to work with us and support their community.” In addition to meals and water, our teams have been providing fresh fruit and gatorade to make sure first responders remain hydrated.
The food trucks, restaurants, and volunteers who have partnered with us have been crucial to WCK’s ability to reach people in need.
Elsa
Elsa is the owner of ELA, the first female-owned Mexican restaurant on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. She and her team started serving meals during the first chaotic days of evacuations, and they have been partnering with WCK daily to provide burritos to the community.
Their delicious meals are given to the Mescalero Community Center which is serving as a shelter for the displaced. Meals are also delivered to elders still living in their homes and to firefighters who continue working to contain the fires.
Elsa is originally from Michoacán, Mexico, but she and her team have shown over the past week that home is wherever you cook with heart for the people around you.
Samuel
We meet a diverse array of incredible people around the world, and Samuel is one of them. “A young evacuee from Ruidoso, Samuel, visited our distribution site at the Roswell Community Center today and enthusiastically jumped in to help out,” said Peter. “He’s coming back as a volunteer and is excited to assist the team.”
Samuel worked with our food truck partner Luchador to serve 400 lunches, many to first responders. He is a reminder that anyone of any age can make a positive impact on the world.
Pancake Pandemonium
Mike, the owner of the food truck Pancake Pandemonium, has been working alongside his daughter to serve meals to displaced families and first responders. For breakfast, they whipped up classic sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches with a twist—they were served with pancakes as the bread. For lunch it was Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. On the chalkboard outside the truck, they wrote out the menu and added: “Stay safe and let us know if you are needing help.”
With displaced people leaving emergency shelters and returning to their homes or forced to find longer-term accommodations, WCK’s team continues to stay in contact with local residents and officials to understand where our help is most needed. “We will remain flexible,” said Peter, “monitoring indicators and communicating with the community.”
WCK will continue to work closely with restaurant partners, local organizations, and NGOs to ensure everyone who needs food and water aid receives it for as long as necessary.
Help us continue feeding families impacted by wildfires.
