Earthquake relief campaign launched by Gift for Life

The death toll in Turkey and Syria rose to eight in a new and powerful earthquake that struck two weeks after a devastating temblor killed nearly 45,000 people, authorities and media said Tuesday. The Feb. 6 quake killed more than 46,000 people in both countries — the vast majority of them in Turkey, where more than a million and a half people are in temporary shelters.  World Central Kitchen (WCK) and Gift for Life, the gift and home industry’s charitable organization, are responding quickly to help meet their dire needs. To help feed the devastated families in Turkey and Syria, the Home vs. Hunger team, in partnership with Gift for Life, has launched a fundraising campaign supporting WCK’s relief efforts in Turkey and Syria.  All funds will be directed to World Central Kitchen, which is working with local partners supporting families impacted by the crisis as well as the rescue crews. The WCK Relief Team is distributing meals for survivors and first responders while working to scale up as quickly as possible. “With the recent devastation in Turkey and Syria from the earthquakes we would like to help our benefactor Jose Andres and World Central Kitchen in their efforts in distributing meals for survivors and first responders,” said Russ Jones, co-chair of Home vs. Hunger. “We are working together with home furnishings brands, trade media, market centers, influencers and industry organizations to quickly raise awareness, gather donations, and send help to desperate families,” he added.

About World Central Kitchen

Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines providing fresh meals in response to crises, while working to build resilient food systems with locally led solutions. Applying our model of quick action, leveraging local resources, and adapting in real time, WCK has served more than 250 million nourishing meals around the world.

When disaster strikes, WCK’s Relief Team mobilizes with the urgency of now to start cooking and serving meals to people in need. By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of local restaurants, food trucks, or emergency kitchens, WCK serves comforting meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively. To support regional economies, WCK prioritizes purchasing local ingredients to cook with or distribute directly to families in need. Learn more at wck.org.

About Gift for Life

Gift for Life was founded by Peter Schauben of Appleman Schauben in 1992 in response to the tragic loss of industry lives to AIDS. The organization’s first meeting at the National Stationery Show brought together a cross-section of the industry’s leading publishers, market centers, sales reps, manufacturers, and retailers – all willing to convene and work together towards a common goal. Since that time, Gift for Life has raised nearly $6 million for AIDS research, education, treatment and care through nationwide at-market events, cause marketing programs and direct donations. In 2021, with COVID-19 temporarily causing cancelation of in-person events at industry markets, Gift for Life pivoted towards online digital events with a specific emphasis on COVID-related hunger relief. In 2023, the all-volunteer organization will continue to support programs that address hunger relief.

More information is available at www.giftforlife.org.