WCK relief team expands efforts in Southern California
World Central Kitchen teams have provided more than 200,000 meals to communities affected by the Los Angeles wildfires since serving our first plates of food on January 8. By working alongside Chef Corps members, restaurant and food truck partners, and dedicated local volunteers, we are ensuring first responders and families get the support they need.
In only 10 days, devastating wildfires scorched roughly 40,000 acres of Southern California communities. WCK arrived within hours of the blazes starting to spread, organizing and serving meals at shelters and first responder hubs in hard-hit areas like the Palisades, Pasadena, and Altadena. We deployed our Chef Corps members and restaurant and food truck partners. We now have 50 meal distribution sites across Southern California, with 20 designated for first responders.
Our local Chef Corps members quickly mobilized to help their neighbors. Chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger were among the first to serve meals from their food truck, Socalo Border Grill, in Pasadena.
The Socalo Border Grill team with WCK Founder José Andrés
Chef Daniel Shemtob, who lost his home in the wildfires, felt called to help people facing the same situation and served thousands of meals from his Lime Truck. “I was sitting there super depressed and sad—I couldn’t be alone for 10 minutes. I realized that that’s one way to respond, the other way is to give back and get out there,” he said.
Chef Daniel Shemtob and Chef Tyler Florence distribute food in Chef Daniel’s Lime Truck
Our friends and supporters also joined us, moving fast to meet the immediate need. First Lady of California Jennifer Newsom worked with our distribution team, providing evacuees with meals at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, joined her, distributing food to their community in Pasadena. The next day, Jennifer Garner worked shoulder to shoulder with WCK Founder José Andrés to provide meals and aid on the ground in the Palisades, her own neighborhood. Eva Longoria met with WCK partner Tacos 1986 to grab lunch for local cleanup crews. Alongside the NDLON team, an organization that empowers day laborers, migrants, and low-wage workers, she helped pick up debris left behind by the fires in Pasadena.
We’re also working with diverse partners to expand our impact. We teamed up with Thrive Farmers Market to host a food truck event where hundreds of members of the military, firefighters, and other first responders could get comforting meals from our food truck partners like Kogi BBQ, VCHOS pupusas, and Gordo Hibachi. Our team created a special first responders lounge in Topanga in partnership with Monty’s Steakhouse. Here, first responders were able to gather and refuel to continue their critical work.
The job isn’t done— every day, more Californians are impacted by the fires. We will continue be here to serve first responders, evacuees, and community members throughout Southern California.
Climate-fueled disasters like these wildfires are becoming increasingly intense and frequent, emphasizing the need for fast, efficient, and empathetic responses. Our mission is to meet this escalating need, in part with our Climate Disaster Fund, to help communities impacted by extreme weather like these fires. Learn more about the CDF here.
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