People and Pets Devastated by Volcanoes - Help Now!

Natural disasters are always frightening, but few match the horror a volcano can unleash in minutes.

Over the past several weeks, the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has continuously spewed lava and ash, destroying over 600 hundred homes and displacing people and animals. Then, on June 3rd, the Fuego Volcano in Guatemala violently erupted, creating a crisis that Guatemala has not seen in a long time. The official death toll is reported at 99, with hundreds still missing and an estimated 3,000 people displaced. Some sources say that over a million people and animals will be directly impacted.

While teams of volunteers are still searching for survivors, our partners on the ground will be working on immediate relief—providing medical supplies, water, and food for both people and animals affected. We will be supporting local partners that will provide the difficult long-term recovery for the families affected.

You can help! Every donation helps us respond quickly, and enables us to stay the course until affected families and communities are fully healed, rebuilt, and resilient. Please support this vital, ongoing work rebuilding lives and communities.

With more than 500 volcanoes active throughout the world, injury and loss of life, job, and home is more common than many of us realize. Eruptions cause immediate, catastrophic damage to communities nearby from lethal hot gases, projectile rocks, and destructive lava. Eruptions can also trigger avalanches, falling ash, flash floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and destructive mudflows. Your support makes recovery possible for victims.

World Central Kitchen
Chef Prepared Meals for Victims of El Fuego in
Guatemala — Fuego Volcano.

"We measured and recorded that 320,000 meals were provided during our activation in Guatemala. GreaterGood.org funding paid for 3,333 meals! These meals were delivered from three kitchens and six food trucks to 34 shelters and three communities. 100% of the food that we used for our relief efforts in Guatemala was sourced or purchased locally. This includes over 74,000 pounds of meat, 127,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables (from local farmers and suppliers) and 41,000 pounds of pasta, rice, and beans.

Jose Miguel lost his home after the eruption of the Fuego Volcano, which destroyed thousands of homes in the surrounding communities. We met him digging out his home with a pick axe and shovel, and were able to offer him a meal while he was working. In addition to feeding families in 34 official and unofficial shelters, we also made it a point to deliver meals to rescue workers, construction workers, and others who are working hard to help restore infrastructure to Guatemalan communities. Although the loss is tremendous, we're honored to do our small part by providing the comfort of a meal to those who need it."

Photo: Jose Miguel is one of the many Guatemalans who lost his home due to the eruption of the Fuego Volcano. With your help, we were able to provide thousands of Guatemalans working to rebuild their communities.

Three Ring Ranch
Kilauea volcano
Lava Evacuees Packet

"With the lava flowing (just now paused) we really can see the far reaching implications of what we have done and how our money has been spent. We are all stretched thin, everyone doing all they can for those in need. It is how we do it here on the Big Island. And in this program funded in part with the GreaterGood.org donation, one that came in just in time, we managed to do a huge amount of good. We can now help with another round of rescues and support without jeopardizing those animals already in our care.

We at 3RR are not ex Air Force, Marines or Army but we have chosen to learn how to do what is considered "highly dangerous." We get into the areas of Kapoho, Pohiki or Leilani via helicopter drop. Surrounded by fields of new lava and active lava flowing there are a few homes in patches of green not much for sure but there are animals left behind. Too scared by the eruption, they ran, they hid and now they are starving to death waiting for their people to come get them. When we check in at the Civil Defense station we have our emergency equipment verified, respirator, safety glasses, helmet, s02 monitor, long sleeved shirt — check. Then we are told that conditions where we are going are not safe, that we can die, that they will not come get us if the lava changes direction. Ok so yes it sounds like a nightmare and yes we are scared, but not as scared as the animals we really want to find. The pets that the owners are calling the shelter daily hoping that somehow we got them out. Into the air we go and are dropped in these little zones of green. We then spend the day trap setting, hiking from one to another in a big circle hoping we are in time for some. And then we start to find cats in the traps! Or come across a few hens hunting what is left of the life on the ground. When we catch one we cry - happy tears. When our time in the hot zone is up the critters are lifted by air and then driven to the shelter. Photos taken, microchips read and then the joy of calling a pet owner to say we have your cat! There is NOTHING like these calls. To know that you got one out alive and that their owners have no words when they are holding their beloved pet lost so long and feared dead."