Global organization provides hot meals to hurricane victims in Baldwin

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ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Tens of thousands of hot meals were provided to Hurricane Sally victims in Baldwin County in the week following the storm, thanks to volunteers from a global food organization.

Mollie Moore, project leader for Baldwin County with World Central Kitchen, said volunteers from the organization were set up before Hurricane Sally made landfall on Sept. 16 and a week later, the group had provided just over 40,000 meals to Baldwin residents.

“Our goal is that when we can, we like to set up as soon as possible so we can be ready to provide food right away when needed,” Moore said. “We use local chefs and volunteers whenever possible so it’s really the community helping members of their own community.”

Most of the volunteers on the Chef Relief Team in Robertsdale came from Hurricane Laura relief efforts in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Moore said.

Volunteers set up a food truck in the parking lot at the E-911 center in Robertsdale and food was delivered in hot trays to locations throughout the county, including the Summerdale Church of God, Lillian and Magnolia Springs volunteer fire departments.

Meals were split up into an AM section and a PM section, providing breakfast, lunch and dinner to residents in different locations throughout the day, Moore said.

Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen “uses the power of food to heal communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond,” according to the group’s website, wck.org.

WCK has served more than 40 million fresh meals to people impacted by natural disasters and other crises around the world in countries including The Bahamas, Indonesia, Lebanon, Mozambique, Venezuela, and the United States. WCK’s Resilience Programs in the Caribbean and Central America have trained hundreds of chefs and school cooks, advanced clean cooking practices, and awarded grants to farms, fisheries and small food businesses while also providing training and networking opportunities.

“World Central Kitchen uses the power of food to heal communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond,” according to the website. “When disaster strikes, WCK’s Chef Relief Team mobilizes to the frontlines with the urgency of now to start cooking and provide meals to people in need.”

For more information about World Central Kitchen and to donate to the organization visit wck.org.