When disaster strikes, the food industry is often first to the table — and rarely has that been more literal than in northern Venezuela right now. Within hours of catastrophic dual earthquakes, World Central Kitchen (WCK) was already cooking, tapping local restaurants to get hot, fresh meals into the hands of displaced families and first responders.
Now that response has a major backer. Mars, Incorporated has announced a $1 million grant through the Mars Impact Fund to World Central Kitchen, funding that will help provide more than 200,000 fresh meals to people affected by the disaster in northern Venezuela.
A Partnership Built for Crisis Response
Mars and WCK have worked together since 2022 to prepare and deliver fresh, nourishing meals to communities hit by crises worldwide. Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, WCK has served more than 600 million nourishing meals globally, relying on a model built for speed: mobilize fast, source locally, and adapt in real time.
That playbook was on full display in Venezuela. WCK activated its response within hours, working alongside local restaurants and community partners to reach the states of Miranda, La Guaira, and Carabobo. To date, the organization has served nearly 500,000 meals in partnership with more than 50 local restaurant partners — reaching displaced families, first responders, and recovering communities.
"As a family-owned, principles-led business, our hearts go out to the families whose lives have been devastated by this earthquake," said Michelle Grogg, Executive Director of the Mars Impact Fund. "In times of crisis, Mars believes we have a responsibility to utilize our global resources to support the recovery of impacted communities. We are honored to partner with World Central Kitchen, whose team has the immediate on-the-ground expertise and local relationships needed to deliver hot meals and critical relief to families when they need it most."
Relief That Goes Beyond the Grant
The $1M grant is only one piece of a broader mobilization by Mars and its brands. On-the-ground efforts include:
- Food donations: Mars South America businesses have donated more than 5 tons of products — including cereal, snack food, and pet food — through local food banks to support people and pets affected by the earthquake.
- Canine search-and-rescue: Teams from Argentina and Mexico have been deployed, funded by the Royal Canin Foundation, the charitable arm of Mars' global pet nutrition brand Royal Canin.
- Urban search-and-rescue: Mars, along with VCA Charities (the nonprofit arm of the VCA Animal Hospitals network) and Royal Canin U.S., has sponsored the deployment of the Los Angeles Task Force 2 Urban Search and Rescue team, actively supporting emergency response on the ground.
- Employee support: Mars is aiding its Venezuelan Associates based in Southern Brazil whose families have been impacted by the disaster.
"When the earthquakes struck, our teams and local partners were able to mobilize within hours because of partners like Mars," said Tunde Wackman, Chief Development Officer at World Central Kitchen. "This generous grant from the Mars Impact Fund means we can keep showing up for families across Venezuela with fresh, nourishing meals, and it's a powerful reminder that when we come together, we can help neighbors when it matters most."
Why It Matters
For food, beverage, and hospitality professionals, this story is more than a corporate donation headline — it's a blueprint for how the industry's supply chain, kitchens, and local relationships become disaster infrastructure. WCK's model deliberately activates local restaurants and food trucks, which keeps regional economies moving even during a crisis and demonstrates the outsized role operators can play in community resilience.
The practical takeaways for operators and buyers:
- Your kitchen is an asset in a crisis. Restaurant partners are central to WCK's rapid response. Independent operators and multi-unit groups can register interest with relief organizations before disaster strikes, positioning their teams and equipment to activate quickly.
- Local sourcing is resilience, not just a trend. WCK prioritizes purchasing local ingredients — a reminder that strong regional supplier relationships pay dividends when national supply chains are disrupted.
- Corporate giving builds brand equity. For foodservice executives and CPG leaders, Mars' layered response shows how principles-led relief tied to a clear partner (rather than one-off checks) reinforces brand trust with consumers and employees alike.
As one of the world's largest food companies — now a $65bn+ business based on combined Mars and Kellanova 2025 net sales — Mars is signaling that scale comes with responsibility. That's a message the wider foodservice industry is well positioned to echo.
The Bottom Line for the F&B Industry
Speed, local partnerships, and fresh food — the same fundamentals that make a restaurant thrive are the fundamentals that make disaster relief work. The Mars and WCK collaboration is a clear example of how the food and beverage industry's core strengths translate directly into community impact.
Curious how leading beverage and hospitality players are aligning brand values with partnerships? See how Sunny Sky Products is setting the standard for beverage partnerships, and read our take on advancing health and sustainability in foodservice. To support WCK's Venezuela response, visit wck.org; learn more about the Mars Impact Fund at mars.com.
How is your operation prepared to give back when crisis hits? Weigh in and share your approach in the comments.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
