Stories from the Ground: California
Over the past several weeks, California has seen a series of massive wildfires. The SCU Lightning Complex & LNU Lightning Complex are now the second and third largest fires in the state’s history, respectively—and they are still burning. To prepare fresh meals for first responders and evacuated families across northern California, WCK established a kitchen in Vacaville and partnered with restaurants from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. After cooking for nearly two weeks, WCK’s Relief Team has served more than 30,000 meals across northern California. Here is a collection of stories from first responders, people impacted by the fires, and our partners who have made this emergency response possible.
Elan and Brett own Barceloneta, a Spanish restaurant in Santa Cruz. They have followed WCK’s efforts around the world and are big fans of José, so they quickly stepped up to help us when it was their community in need. Barceloneta has become a partner kitchen and hub for WCK, as we work alongside Elan and Brett and local volunteers to make hot meals and prepare sandwiches. On their first day of cooking with WCK, Elan visited Groundswell Farm, a local farm whose business was impacted by the fires. She brought back padrón peppers, a Spanish favorite, and tomatoes to incorporate into a nutritious (and delicious!) paella of chicken, rice, and vegetables.
Brett and Elan themselves had to evacuate their home; they told us how much it means to them to be able to help neighbors who are enduring the same incredible challenges right now. Elan also shared with us that they are honored to cook for the men and women battling the historic wildfires.
“We just want to nourish the people on the front lines. They’re battling something that’s beyond my ability to comprehend, and any tiny bit of comfort in their long days is what we long for,” Elan said. “In times of great crisis, you see everyone’s true colors. I see the resilience and the strength and the bravery and the spunk of this community.”
Discretion Brewing is another local restaurant in Santa Cruz whipping up nourishing meals for the community. Chef Santos and his team cooked a chili fried rice with roasted vegetables—mushrooms, squash, and peppers—topped with fresh herbs, green onions, a boiled egg, and a citrus soy sauce. These meals were delivered to firefighters in the field and to residents of Bonny Doon and Davenport who’ve lost everything in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
“As a chef I feel like we are so lucky and there are a lot of people not getting any sleep, working 24/7, and we want to provide what little we can. My heart is full of love when I put the food in the box. I hope that I can make them as happy as I can and that they enjoy this,” Chef Santos told us.
Our Relief Team first met Mia in March when we were just beginning our response to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. From the WCK kitchen in San Francisco, Mia helped the team prepare thousands of meals for passengers and crew quarantined aboard the Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland. When Mia found out WCK was responding to the wildfires, she jumped right back in!
Local firefighter Dave lost his home and everything he owns in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire while he was out on the front lines battling another fire. Dave was given time off from work, but he wanted to continue helping his community. He reached out to WCK to help deliver hot meals to all the crews still battling the fire in his neighborhood, as well as to local residents who have also lost everything—some now staying in their cars.
“I’m not used to being on this side of things. I’m used to being the one who’s helping people. Being on the other side of it is definitely an emotional roller coaster. You hear the phrase, we rush into the places that people are running out of. I can’t sit still, so I’m here to help who I can.”
At the Boulder Creek Fire Station, the sky was raining ash from surrounding fires when our team met Chris. He has been a firefighter for 21 years and lives near Lake Tahoe. “This food means everything to me right now. There’s been two days here that we haven’t had any meals. Thank you for this.”
Just down the road from Boulder Creek at the Ben Lomond Fire Department, we met Bob. Bob is a retired firefighter who owns a cafe about 100 feet from the firehouse, so he’s been running the kitchen for the teams on the frontline. Bob reached out to WCK to get some help with daily sandwiches that can easily be driven directly to the crews battling the blaze.
Morgan is a part of Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization made up of veterans and first responders. WCK has worked alongside Team Rubicon during emergency responses in The Bahamas, Mozambique, and elsewhere, and we often provide nutritious meals for their volunteers. Morgan is on their Incident Management Team, and in response to the wildfires, she joined up with our Chef Relief Team to help get meals to firefighters battling the wildfires. With her experience and expertise, Morgan has been instrumental in this effort.
WCK’s efforts in California have been fueled by our supporters and donors from around the world, as well as generous donations from Apple and Walmart. For real-time information about our response, please follow WCK on Twitter and Instagram.
