A recent series of deadly earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria and their aftershocks felt in Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, and Jordan, resulting in over 11,200 confirmed casualties and injuries, according to reports by the Turkish Ministry of Health and The Guardian. Many nonprofit and volunteer organizations are providing immediate food assistance.

The first earthquake of 7.8 magnitude occurred early in the morning, with the following earthquake of 7.5 magnitude landing later in the afternoon based on research from the U.S. Geological Survey. These cascading weather events including earthquakes and their aftershocks caused widespread damage to apartment buildings, homes and energy infrastructure.

Chef and Activist José Andres is mobilizing the World Central Kitchen to send chefs and support to the country as soon as possible. Andres recently announced that he is en route to Istanbul to aid teams that are already on the ground in affected areas.

World Food Programme teams are also on the ground in both Syria and Turkey, having operated in each country since 1964 and 2012, respectively. In Turkey, the Turkish Red Crescent is shipping food to Kahramanmaraş and the nine other provinces through mobile kitchens, and they are actively accepting donations to continue these efforts in the coming weeks and months.

In Syria, a student-led initiative, the Molham Team is accepting donations to expand their food distribution to displaced Syrians in Northwestern Idlib Province that are now food-insecure due to the crisis.

Read the full article about food assistance in Turkey and Syria by Max Sano at Food Tank.