On the Ground in Nepal: WCK Opens Community Kitchens
On August 26, a glacier collapsed on the Nepal-China border, sending a catastrophic debris flow more than 60 miles downstream along the Trishuli River, wiping out bridges, roads, and settlements across a vast stretch of northern Nepal. Communities were cut off entirely—reachable only by helicopter or on foot. WCK mobilized immediately and teams are now cooking from a community kitchen in the hardest hit area.
Our early focus was Nuwakot Province, where evacuees were being airlifted to a makeshift airfield in Bidur. Families waited at the gates, straining for a familiar face. The moment survivors landed, WCK and our partners were waiting with a hot meal.
Through the first few days of the response, WCK has served thousands of meals—including local staples like samosas and momos.
Today, our teams began operations at our first community kitchen in Gerkhutar, just north of Bidur. Working alongside the Chefs Association of Nepal, we are serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to families there. Our team overcame significant obstacles to open this kitchen. Road conditions meant traveling just seven miles took over five hours. Thanks to the local knowledge of Nepal Scouts, a national scouting and guiding organization, all the equipment arrived safely.
Two more community kitchens open tomorrow. Community kitchens remain our preferred approach wherever conditions allow. Culturally, people here strongly prefer cooking their own food.
As road conditions north of Bidur improve, we are mobilizing more equipment to ensure kitchen teams have everything they need to cook at scale.
The danger to community members is not over. A new barrier lake near the Nepal-China border poses ongoing flood risk, and forecasters are warning of severe flash flooding from local waterways. WCK teams are monitoring conditions closely and will keep serving for as long as communities need us.
Support Our Efforts in Nepal
