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World Central Kitchen arrives in Marshalltown

Helps feed those in need

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO — Josh Phelps, with the World Central Kitchen — a non-profit devoted to providing meals to people who are in the wake of a natural disaster — gets a photo with Balvina Gomez, owner of Maria’s Tacos on State Street. The restaurant partnered with World Central Kitchen to provide free meals for those in need from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday.

In the span of a few hours on Monday, restaurant owners in Marshalltown partnered with World Central Kitchen to provide free meals to residents impacted by the Aug. 10 derecho.

The effort was quickly organized by Catherine Nobel, who received notice on Monday that Josh Phelps, with the World Central Kitchen, was going to make a special trip from Cedar Rapids to Marshalltown. The World Central Kitchen is a non-profit organization which provides meals to people in the wake of natural disasters.

The World Central Kitchen was started after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti by chef Jose Andres. The organization has helped provide meals to people in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017, in Hawaii after the June 2018 volcanic eruption and to passengers of the Grand Princess cruise ship which was quarantined in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been many other crises in which the World Central Kitchen helped out. As a result of the work of the organization, Andres was given the 2018 Humanitarian of the Year James Beard Foundation Award.

Nobel was contacted by a New York City acquaintance she made through her volunteer efforts for Pete Buttigieg’s campaign.

“I was asked to be the point person and I was happy to do it,” she said. “I knew I had to move right away because there was not a lot of resources in a short span of time and as it turned out, we pulled it together.”

T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Legislative candidate Christina Blackcloud and Marc Wallace, assistant public defender for Marshall County, help serve beef vegetable soup for Marshalltown residents on Monday. There will be a free meal at Maria’s Tacos from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, and at the Marshalltown Public Library on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Balvina Gomez, owner of Maria’s Tacos, was able to prepare a beef vegetable soup for anyone who showed up.

“I wanted to make sure everyone had a hot meal and I needed to make enough of something quickly,” Gomez said. “They get their protein, their vegetables and some chips.”

Before the meal began at 5 p.m. on Monday, Gomez said there was a line of people waiting.

Volunteering to serve the soup those in need was Christina Blackcloud of Tama, Democratic candidate for Iowa House District 72, and Marc Wallace, the assistant public defender for Marshall County.

The effort to feed people will continue from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Maria’s Tacos on State Street. Then, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, at the Marshalltown Public Library, which will be hosted by La Carretas.

CORRECTION: The name of the World Central Kitchen representative in Marshalltown has been changed.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.

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