When Chef Corps Members Sought Support, Together We Fed Cape Cod
In late February, heavy snow blanketed much of the northeast U.S. It was a matter of hours before WCK teams heard from Family Table Collaborative, a nonprofit that addresses food and nutrition insecurity year round on Cape Cod. Their staff and volunteers typically prepare a thousand meals a week, but, this time, the need was far greater, as 99% of Cape Cod homes and businesses lost power.
“I think so many people wait too long when they need help and many hands make light work,” said Jeni Wheeler, Family Table Collaborative executive director and co-founder. It’s about being stronger together.”
Jeni is a member of the Chef Corps—a global network of culinary leaders who are on standby to help WCK get cooking as quickly as possible and serve local communities with care. Our Chef Corps members often serve as our eyes and ears on the ground. Jeni and FTC Board Member Mary O’Keeffe were able to quickly communicate a clear need for WCK support with new shelters opening every couple of hours and power outages disrupting access to hot, fresh food.
Serving meals alongside FTC and other local partners like Pink Door Catering & Market and Truro Community Kitchen allowed our small, nimble team to reach from Barnstable to Provincetown and from Falmouth to Brewster—supplying more than 10,000 meals at warming centers, shelters, community kitchens, food pantries, and DPW sites. Cape Cod came together to make sure the entire peninsula was covered, including members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.
WCK was able to solve some supply chain challenges so that FTC could do what they do best—prepare nourishing meals for those who need them most. “We couldn’t get food,” Jeni explains. “We couldn’t get the raw materials. So having you guys here is so unbelievably critical to making it all work. We’re so grateful.”
I think so many people wait too long when they need help and many hands make light work. It’s about being stronger together.
Jeni Wheeler, WCK Chef Corps Member
“For us, it’s just how do we get to yes?” Jeni continues. “There are no standard protocols.”
Should WCK need to respond in Cape Cod again in the future, we can count Jeni and FTC as our trusted partners who will be more prepared than ever to support their neighbors.
Learn about our work in Cape Cod
