Digicel is partnering with World Central Kitchen to tackle food insecurity in St Vincent & the Grenadines.

Since the La Soufrière volcano in St Vincent began erupting on April 9, 30,000 people have been displaced, causing a humanitarian crisis.

WCK, a non-profit organisation that uses the power of food to nourish communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond, was on the ground after the first major eruption.

"WCK is a team of food first responders who believe that a hot meal is so much more than a plate of food – it's hope, it's dignity, it's a sign that someone cares about you and that you are not alone,” WCK chief executive officer Nate Mook said. “We are grateful for Digicel’s belief in our mission, and for their support of our work providing nourishing meals to the families in St Vincent who were affected by the explosion of La Soufrière volcano.”

Fanta Williams, Digicel St Vincent & the Grenadines chief executive officer said: “At Digicel, our natural instinct is to want to help to ensure that no one gets left behind. The work WCK is doing is as impactful as it is inspiring and it is our honour to partner with them to raise funds to ensure that the families and individuals in the shelters have a warm meal and the hope that goes with it in these trying times.”

Digicel has separately committed $500,000 to relief efforts in St Vincent & the Grenadines.

On Wednesday, Digicel said it would leverage its global reach to encourage people to donate and provide meals to people in need. WCK initially worked with local restaurants to prepare meals for people in immediate need, and has now also established its own kitchen at the Hospitality & Maritime Institute. To date, WCK has served more than 100,000 fresh meals which have been delivered to over 100 locations, and plans to produce 8,000 hot meals per day meals to feed families in emergency shelters.

Founded in 2010, WCK has served more than 50 million fresh meals to people impacted by natural disasters and other crises around the world.

By partnering with organisations on the ground and activating a network of food trucks or emergency kitchens, WCK provides freshly made, nutritious meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively.

Digicel customers can donate $5 meals in increment options of $10, $25 or $50. Donations can be issued at online-top-up.digicelgroup.com/en-VC/ via the SVG donations tab.