WCK activates emergency response for India’s Covid surge
In recent weeks, a surge of Covid infections has devastated India with more than 350,000 new cases being reported each day. The situation is devastating; people are dying in hospitals due to a lack of oxygen while exhausted medical staff do all they can to save lives in these extremely difficult circumstances. WCK has activated to support frontline healthcare workers, preparing more than 10,000 nourishing meals every day.
WCK joined forces with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor to get freshly prepared meals to hospital staff working around the clock in seven cities across the country. Activating initially in Mumbai, the local chef team prepared Veg Makhanwala—potatoes, mushrooms, and cauliflower cooked in tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cashews, and spices—with Dhaniya Pulao, a delicious coriander rice for our first day of service. Meals were delivered to several hospitals in two shifts, one for the day staff and another for the night crew. We also provided the frontline medical staff with juice–the area is sweltering and workers are wearing full PPE, so dehydration is a major concern.
Shortly after activating in Mumbai, WCK partner restaurants began delivering meals to a hospital caring for patients in Ahmedabad—about a 9 hour drive north. On our first day of service in the city, WCK delivered 500 plates of Kanda Poha, a popular breakfast dish made with flattened rice. These meals were served to frontline staff at Civil Hospital, the largest hospital in Asia. The medical staff are working around the clock, so we also brought lunch and dinner—and will be back with fresh meals every day.
In partnership with chefs across India, WCK’s Relief Team has now also started serving fresh meals in Delhi, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. Across all seven cities, WCK has served more than 50,000 meals to frontline healthcare workers. As always, our teams remain flexible to shift our response as needs change. For the latest updates, please follow WCK on Twitter and Instagram.
