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WCK responded in southern Brazil during historic flooding

Chefs For Brazil
Porto Alegre, Brazil | Active from May – July 2024
World Central Kitchen’s Relief Team was in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul providing food and water to communities impacted by some of the worst-ever flooding to hit the region.

Destruction caused by floodwaters killed at least 150 people and displaced more than 500,000. An estimated 77,000 people evacuated and were living in shelters across the region and were in need of support.

WCK’s teams built a fully equipped Relief Kitchen in Porto Alegre that included an outdoor barbecue pit. With it, our teams cooked local comfort food for families reeling from the devastating floods and working to recover.

This was WCK’s fourth time responding to flooding in Brazil after leading three other efforts there in 2022. One of the biggest responses was in the state of Bahia, where our team served more than 64,000 meals after intense rainfall led to flooding that broke dams, submerged towns, and displaced tens of thousands of people.

By the numbers

735,950+

Meals Served

Including hot meals, sandwiches, and food kits.

104

Recipient Groups

Including individual communities, shelters, and first responders.

105,000+

Pounds of Product

Including water, cassava flour, and dry goods distributed.

WCK builds Relief Kitchen in Brazil

WCK teams established a Relief Kitchen in Porto Alegre and partnered with local NGOs and restaurants to ensure meals reach all families in need.

Local Superhero: Ricardo

WCK’s team in Brazil met Ricardo, a local truck driver, while assessing food needs in communities around Porto Alegre. Roads in the region are difficult to traverse so Ricardo volunteered his truck to help us reach families in the area. We transferred meals from our cars onto his truck and delivered food to people in Vila Celso.

Local Partner: Mayday Brasil

Access to flooded communities surrounding Porto Alegre remains challenging. In the early days of our response, WCK worked alongside Mayday Brasil, a local search and rescue NGO, to ensure we safely reached families in need. The Mayday team was an invaluable source of information as we reached the most heavily impacted towns in the region.

Help us continue feeding families.

Latest from the ground

  • Update from Brazil 🎥 WCK’s Ale is in the Santo Alfonso area near Porto Alegre where food needs remain acute. Our distribution team is arriving with thousands of nourishing meals for the community heavily impacted by flooding as families work to clean up their homes.

    Twitter | 6/07/2024
  • WCK teams have provided more than 110,000 meals in southern Brazil since first responding to flooding in the region. Since serving our first meals 12 days ago, we have established a Relief Kitchen in Porto Alegre and partnered with local NGOs and restaurants to ensure meals reach all families in need.

    Twitter | 6/05/2024
  • WCK distributed hot meals at Vila Brás in São Leopoldo, where residents have not been able to get into their houses for almost a month due to the flooding. Families can finally start returning home, and the plates of Carne de Panela—stewed beef with veggies—are helping to fuel cleanup efforts.

    Twitter | 6/05/2024