NOCHI Need Volunteers, Electrician; World Central Kitchen Food Truck On Site

From our Partners at the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute: 

This newsletter comes to you via a cell phone attached to a solar-powered portable charger. It’s made its way to your inbox thanks to a shred of cell phone reception, since catastrophic damage to our electrical infrastructure means the entire city is without power, perhaps for weeks. Although New Orleans was spared the worst of the storm, many of our southeastern Louisiana neighbors have experienced grave tragedy and loss, and this is just the beginning of a long road ahead. 16 years after Katrina, our hearts ache for them.

That’s the bad news.

The good news: This is the first day of Louisiana’s recovery, and the power of this community will carry us all through. Shy of a few leaks, NOCHI is relatively unscathed, and we’re springing to action. Our friends at World Central Kitchen are stationed in our kitchens, working tirelessly to put together nourishing meals to share with our broader community.

If you’re wondering what you can do to help (thank you!), here are some very targeted requests:

• ​​Volunteers are needed for community feeding efforts. Service industry preferred, but all assistance gratefully welcomed. Minors welcome with adult supervision. Sign up for a shift here: ida.wck.volunteerhub.com
• We are in ​need of an electrical engineer or electrician to help us connect our hoods to generator power. Hot meals are being prepared in WCK’s food truck but we need to scale up our efforts. If you or someone you know can help, reply to this email.
• We also need a security professional to hold down the fort at NOCHI’s front desk. With dozens of people coming in and out for recovery, a first point of contact is needed. If you or someone you know can help, reply to this email.
• Members of law enforcement (including Coast Guard) can come to NOCHI at 725 Howard Ave. for a meal.
• If you are not in New Orleans: This will be an uphill, community-driven effort. You can directly support our work from afar with financial contributions to NOCHI and World Central Kitchen, and by supporting mutual aid through organizations like Imagine Water Works.
• Please spread the word by forwarding this email or sharing our posts on social. It is imperative that we help as many people as possible.

We love you. We will get through this together. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to let us know.

-Team NOCHI