Fire season in California continues: WCK cooking in Santa Rosa
WCK’s Chef Relief Team has once again activated on the West Coast in response to wildfires burning in northern California. In what has become one of the worst fire seasons in history, more than 4 million acres across the state have burned. Each year, fire season is beginning earlier and ending later — and affecting more populated regions.
On September 27, the Glass Fire ignited in Sonoma and Napa counties. A week later, more than 70,000 people are still under evacuation orders. The Shady and Glass fires have grown to over 65,000 acres and continue to threaten communities in the area, at just 30% containment.
WCK set up our Mobile Relief Kitchen at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds—the same location we established one year ago in response to the Kincade Fire. Chef Elsa, a long-time WCK food first responder, is running the kitchen this week. On the menu? Favorites like her now-famous chili verde as well as tofu with cilantro-lime rice and a delicious vegetable medley. These meals are being plated up for both lunch and dinner for our team to serve to first responders, fire crews, and families who have been evacuated from their homes.
When preparing meals for firefighters working in incredibly challenging circumstances—they’re subjected to extreme heat and heavy smoke, all while bearing the weight of uniforms and equipment—it’s critical we provide them with not only a hot, delicious meal but something that will keep them nourished and full. The bagged lunches we have been serving from the kitchen in Santa Rosa contain a full cup of Chef Elsa’s green chili, a fresh salad, a piece of cold fruit, and a hearty ham and cheese sandwich.
Along Highway 12 in Sonoma County, our team distributed bagged lunches to strike teams fighting the blaze in a mountainous area close to the road. Then, on Sugar Mountain, we met a team from San Bruno (just south of San Francisco) who were happy to receive some fresh food for the afternoon.
In addition to providing meals for firefighters battling the blaze on the front lines, WCK’s Relief Team is cooking lunch and dinner for other first responders doing their part in the emergency effort. In Sonoma county, we provided meals to members of the San Francisco Police Department who arrived in the early hours to help out. WCK’s Relief Team also met some Animal Control staff who have been rescuing cats and dogs in evacuated neighborhoods; we were happy to be able to serve these teams a comforting meal as they continued their work.
To support the local community who have either been evacuated or impacted in other ways by the Glass Fire, we partnered with Listos California to provide meals to families in Windsor, just north of Santa Rosa. Setting up at the Huerta Gym, our team handed out 100 meals in under an hour, and we will continue to see how we can support the community through this challenging time.
At the Santa Rosa Veterans Hall, our Relief Team has been serving meals to people staying in the Hall due to fire evacuations. Here, we met Inga. As she sat in her car listening to updates on the fire, Inga told us she will be staying at the Veterans Hall until further notice.
WCK’s Relief Team will continue cooking and serving fresh meals to first responders and impacted communities. For real-time updates about our emergency response, follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
