The World Central Kitchen (WCK) global food relief organization has stepped up again to provide food for communities in the state of Guerrero, this time for those devastated by the impact of Hurricane John, nearly a year after Hurricane Otis wreaked havoc in the region.
For the past two weeks, the non-governmental organization founded by Spanish-American chef and restaurateur José Andrés has been distributing 35,000 meals per day to beleaguered Guerrero residents.
The NGO has enlisted more than 24 restaurants in Acapulco, the state capital of Chilpancingo and Ometepec in the eastern area of the state to help prepare food for the impacted communities.
Juan Camilo Jiménez — WCK’s outreach manager in Mexico — told the news agency EFE that the operation is entirely local, with 98% of the volunteers hailing from Acapulco.
“The most important thing for us is to contribute to a quick recovery,” Jiménez said.
WCK provided similar assistance last year after Hurricane Otis, which made landfall as a Category 5 storm near Acapulco on Oct. 25, 2023. For nearly two months, the NGO supplied over 300,000 gallons of water, delivered roughly 5.3 million meals and distributed 750 tonnes of dry goods to families in the region.
Otis caused at least 52 deaths and total damage was estimated to be between US $12 billion and $16 billion.
John came ashore in eastern Guerrero on Sept. 24 and lingered over the region’s coastal mountains for several days, causing deadly flooding across Guerrero and the adjacent states of Oaxaca and Michoacán.
John caused at least 29 deaths and damage assessment is ongoing — on Friday, the government reported that 236,636 people in Guerrero alone have been affected. President Claudia Sheinbaum visited Acapulco on Oct. 2, the day after her inauguration, and was besieged by local demands for aid.
WCK today has more than 200 people working in kitchens to prepare food and has 80 trucks delivering the meals across the state.
In Acapulco, WCK’s Juan Camilo takes us inside what is about to be a kitchen capable of producing thousands of meals each day. What a difference one day makes—the team will be prepping food by day’s end. Follow us here to see this exciting transformation that will bring… pic.twitter.com/0pGlklBgqV
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) October 4, 2024
The meals — consisting of 150 grams of carbs, 150 grams of protein and 125 grams of vegetables, according to chef Diego Cruz — are being prepared at a university in Acapulco and delivered to five distribution sites in the city.
The WKC is not just concentrating its efforts in the resort town, but trying to reach more remote communities as well, such as El Embarcadero, a lakeside community northwest of Acapulco that escaped major damage from Otis last year but this year was hit hard by John.
Young volunteers in Barrio Nuevo La Laja in the mountains north of Acapulco are lending a hand, too — despite the fact that John destroyed the only bridge allowing access to the town, they are delivering meals to seniors in their community.
Pico del Monte, 70 miles southeast of Acapulco, is receiving meals from WCK by boat, since road access to the town is still difficult due to damage from the storm.
With reports from Quadratín Guerrero and EFE
