Notes From the Field: How World Central Kitchen Fed Hurricane-Ravaged Florida

In early October 2018, Hurricane Michael wreaked havoc along the Florida panhandle. The Category 4 hurricane reached wind speeds of of 155 mph and left1.3 million homes without power.  Our humanitarian partnerWorld Central Kitchen (WCK) and its founder, chef Jose Andres, sought to aid the affected communities using the power of food.

“World Central Kitchen uses the expertise of its Chef Network to empower people to be part of the solution, with a focus on health, education, jobs, and social enterprise.”

As WCK’s volunteers distributed food in Panama City and Mexico Beach, Florida, they saw that the lack of power had left people without reliable light sources or a reliable way to charge their phones. In post-disaster situations, phone charging can make a huge difference on health and comfort for survivors. In order to better aid these people, LuminAID sent WCK PackLite Max 2-in-1 Phone Chargers through our Give Light, Get Light program.

Erich Broksas of WCK reports, “Our founder José Andrés had a few of your lanterns that he gave away but the need is great for more. We are going into communities to feed people, often after dark and most do not have any source of light. If they had flashlights, they burned through their batteries a long time ago.”

Austin, Ethan, and little Pebbles about to enjoy some ravioli by the WCK @LuminAIDLab light! 💡😋 #ChefsForFlorida pic.twitter.com/S6yvzd02A8

— WorldCentralKitchen (@WCKitchen) October 26, 2018