Hours after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, World Central Kitchen was already serving meals. Across La Guaira, Caracas, and Carabobo, local restaurants, community organizations, volunteers, and WCK teams came together to support families whose homes and communities had been severely affected. What began with a handful of local partners quickly grew into a large network that served over 1.7 million meals to impacted families.

From the earliest days of the response, local partners were at the center of our work. Restaurants prepared meals reflecting the food people know and love, while our teams identified where support was needed most. As needs grew, WCK expanded our operations, establishing a Field Kitchen at Club Puerto Azul in La Guaira and building the infrastructure needed to produce and distribute meals at scale.

Our teams delivered meals to shelters, hospitals, emergency responders, communities, and families displaced by the earthquakes.

As communities began to recover, WCK teams adapted to ensure shifting needs were met. Direct operations began transitioning to local organizations that could serve their neighbors and community kitchens became an important part of that transition.

In Caracas and La Guaira, WCK supported local partners, including REMAR and Ararat, with food, equipment, logistics, operational guidance, and training. These organizations were already deeply connected to their communities. Strengthening their kitchens meant strengthening a local food network that could keep operating after WCK’s direct response concluded.

At Club Puerto Azul, another part of that legacy is taking shape. The Field Kitchen that served as WCK’s primary production hub during the response is closing, but the infrastructure will remain. We are prepositioning a complete Field Kitchen kit and ten Distribution Site kits at the club, ready to be deployed next time there is a need in Venezuela.

Having this equipment already in-country and strategically positioned means a future response will not have to start from zero. Critical infrastructure will be ready to move quickly to where it is needed, reducing the time between an emergency and the first meal.

This preparedness is strengthened by Venezuela’s national network of restaurants, community kitchens, suppliers, local team members, and organizations that have worked alongside WCK throughout the response. Combined with WCK’s global network of restaurant partners and emergency response experience, it creates a foundation that can act quickly when disaster strikes.

The June 24 earthquakes showed what is possible when that network comes together. Venezuelans opened their kitchens, shared their resources, delivered food, supported their neighbors, and helped one another through the immediate aftermath.

Now, as WCK transitions away from direct emergency operations, that local capacity remains.

The meals served during the response met an urgent need. The partnerships, trained teams, strengthened kitchens, and emergency equipment left behind are designed to help meet future needs.

In Venezuela, WCK’s work is winding down,but the capacity we built is staying behind. And if another emergency comes, WCK and our partners in Venezuela will be prepared to respond even faster.

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