Recently, Sesame Street reintroduced Lily, a character whose family is experiencing food insecurity and homelessness. Lily’s presence on the show is a reflection of how pressing these social challenges are for many children and their families right now.

To help people experiencing these needs, Vanguard channeled our resources to make a contribution to World Central Kitchen (WCK) in honor of our clients this holiday season. Founded by chef José Andrés in 2010, WCK strives to provide hope and nourishment to help people get back on their feet after crises and natural disasters.

In 2018, natural disasters placed a lot of stress on many communities across the country and around the world. WCK’s chef and volunteer networks arrive on the ground quickly to feed people after hurricanes and forest fires, from Puerto Rico to North Carolina and California to Indonesia in the last couple of years alone. They take care of not only displaced or homeless residents who don’t know where their next meal – and sometimes even water – will come from but also those who are putting their lives on the line to mitigate the impact of disasters, such as first responders and other emergency personnel.

Andrés is an immigrant from Spain who owns restaurants around the world and has used his celebrity to advance social causes. It’s fitting that our donation this year is going to an organization founded by an immigrant who is determined to help others, since this was the theme of our 2018 Vanguard calendar. Over the past year, we’ve honored immigrants who “get the job done,” as they say in Hamilton: An American Musical, and shaped the way we think and feel about issues from domestic violence to labor conditions, from social responsibility of the wealthy to environmental stewardship.

If you’re looking for an organization to support for holiday gifting, consider WCK and start following them on Twitter and Facebook for more information on how to help and contribute. And if you’re looking for ways to help children and families like Lily’s family on Sesame Street, The Spruce shared a great list of other worthy organizations providing hunger relief.