On September 14, Hurricane Florence made landfall in Wilmington, North Carolina as a Category 1 storm, urging over 1.7 million residents of the Carolinas and southern Virginia to flee their homes for shelter.
Chef/humanitarian José Andrés and the World Central Kitchen’s Chef Relief Team established activated kitchens in Wilmington, Lumberton, New Bern and North Carolina’s capital city of Raleigh. Since then, #ChefsForCarolinas has served over 300,000 meals to evacuees and first responders.
On October 10, the Florida Panhandle faced the worst hurricane it has seen in over a century with the arrival of Hurricane Michael, landing only two miles per hour shy of a Category 5 storm. World Central Kitchen’s Chef Relief Team made their way to Panama City prior to the storm to support shelters and first responders with hot meals. (Follow #ChefsForFlorida on Instagram and Twitter.)
As someone who grew up in the Tarheel State, I’ve seen a number of hurricanes. It’s a devastating time, impacting not only the residents facing the eye, but those who live afar that may have family still in the area or fond memories of past times. Undoubtedly, clean-up crews have their work cut out for them across the southeastern United States—the time is now to help those in need. Here’s how.
We will keep this list updated in the coming weeks.
Text the word "MICHAEL" to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross.
Make a donation to Feeding the Gulf Coast, which serves seven counties along the panhandle of Florida. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go towards hunger relief in areas impacted by the hurricane.
The Sunday Supper, founded in the fall of 2016 when one of North Carolina’s most destructive hurricanes, Hurricane Matthew, tore into the eastern part of the state has been raising near than $200,000 for disaster relief since its inaugural dinner (the largest that the state had ever seen). The next event, “Come Together for the Coast,” consisting of a community table lunch, is slated for Sunday, November 11 on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. Tickets are only $25; purchase them here or you can donate, purchase custom tees or even volunteer by submitting your name and email to The Sunday Supper website.
A Chef’s Life’s Vivan Howard of Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina is raising funds for families in North Carolina’s Jones County who were displaced by Hurricane Florence with her “Country as Cornbread” tee, priced at $25 a pop. Purchase them here.
As previously stated, World Central Kitchen has hit the ground running in Florida. Text "FOOD" to 27722 to donate $25, which will provide meals to first responders and evacuees.
Florida disaster relief nonprofit Farm Share has warehouses in Quincy, Jacksonville, Pompano Beach and Homestead, supplying food, water and other supplies to the Panhandle.
The Red Cross cited a “critical need” for blood and platelet donations following Hurricane Michael. Make appointments via the website or app.
To celebrate World Food Day, restaurants around the nation in cities including San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, New York and Washington, D.C. are donating 10% of their proceeds to the organization’s Smart Solutions to Hunger and Poverty. Find out how to participate here.
Virginia-based disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, Mercy Chefs, has deployed its team of professional chefs to Panama City to feed victims, volunteers and first responders of Hurricane Michael. Mercy Chefs has set up two main sites at local Destiny Worship Center, as well as the Emerald Coast Fellowship in Lynn Haven, and are currently working out of two mobile kitchens. In total, Mercy Chefs is serving some 18,000 meals a day; support meal service here.
