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    • Nate Mook feeds the world in the midst of disaster. He will share his story in Fresno.
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    Nate Mook feeds the world in the midst of disaster. He will share his story in Fresno.

    Pabio Posted on

    Nate Mook turned his passion for technology into film and then into philanthropy.

    He will share his stories in Fresno, speaking at San Joaquin Valley City Hall10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Saroyan Theater. GV Wire is a sponsor of the town hall.

    Communities come together in times of need, Mook said.

    “I’m excited to talk about some of my experiences, what I’ve experienced all over the world through our humanitarian efforts, what I’ve learned, some of the lessons, some of the incredible stories of the people I I met. along the way,” Mook said, speaking to GV Wire upon his return from Ukraine.

    Although he’s been through Fresno before, this will be his first extended stop, Mook said.

    World Central Kitchen has contributed to natural and man-made disasters around the world. (Facebook)

    From technology to global central cuisine

    “We just started feeding people. And that’s when this mission of World Central Kitchen was kind of born: to feed people in times of disaster. — Nate Mook

    Mook grew up in Northern Virginia – he still lives in Washington, DC with his cat – a self-described “tech geek.” He then worked in the technology sector in Southern California.

    “I wanted to change some things, I started traveling around the world and working internationally with NGOs,” Mook said. “(I wanted) to take a step come back from the computer and go out and see what was bigger or what was happening in the world.

    This led him to tell his stories through cinema. As cameras became easier to access, creative storytelling appealed to Mook.

    Some of his documentaries include “Undiscovered Haiti with José Andrés,” “Baltimore Rising,” and “We Feed People.”

    He met Andrés, the chef behind Central cuisine of the worldfollowing Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

    “He wanted to take what he was doing with food and bring it to everyone. And I loved that idea, that concept,” Mook said.

    From natural disasters to refugee crises, WCK and Mook have traveled the world – from hurricane-ravaged areas to wildfire relief in California.

    “We just started feeding people. And that’s when this World Central Kitchen mission of feeding people in times of disaster was kind of born,” Mook said.

    Mook said that during his five years as CEO of WCK, he grew its operations from $1 million a year to $500 million.

    Work in Ukraine

    Mook helped provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine shortly after the 2022 Russian invasion.

    The day of Mook’s speech Wednesday marks the 1,000th day of the conflict.

    With the help of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation – Howard is Warren Buffett’s son – Mook has dedicated the past two years to several humanitarian projects in Ukraine.

    “I fell in love with Ukraine and its people,” Mook said.

    Humanitarians have provided $1.8 billion in support since the start of the war, reaching 7.2 million affected people, according to the The United Nations declared.

    Ukrainians are cautiously optimistic about the election of Donald Trump.

    “Ukrainians are hoping that maybe a change in administration will bring new momentum, maybe positive momentum…I think any potential change could be positive,” Mook said.

    Anxiety also remains.

    “People are tired and it feels like things are stuck right now. And so I think there’s hope that a new administration, maybe they can convince Russia to step back a little bit, maybe they can find a way forward,” he said. Mook said.

    A new generation of donations

    Mook helped combine his experience in technology with that of leading nonprofit organizations. This meant transparency and accountability for how donations are used.

    The younger generation didn’t just want to give their parents choices like the Red Cross or the Salvation Army, Mook said.

    “We were able to leverage things…storytelling, film, video, social media. So we were able to create a platform where we could show people what we were doing with their donations in real time. And that was a huge game-changer,” Mook said.

    The younger generation, Mook said, wants to know now, without waiting for an annual report.

    “Not only were we doing important work on the ground, but we were also building a community and people could see and participate in what we were doing in real time,” Mook said.

    Pabio
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