World Central Kitchen is partnering with restaurants and food trucks to feed first responders and families in Southern California
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Photo: TheImageDirect.com; David McNew/Getty
Jennifer Garner is lending a hand during the wildfires in Los Angeles.
The 13 Going on 30 alum was photographed on Friday, Jan. 10, volunteering with World Central Kitchen in Los Angeles.
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Jennifer Garner volunteers with World Central Kitchen. TheImageDirect.com
Garner, 52, is helping the team bring meals from restaurants and food truck partners to first responders and families affected by the ongoing fires, PEOPLE confirmed with a World Central Kitchen representative. In the photos, the actress can be seen holding a World Central Kitchen-branded duffel bag and getting out of a WCK van.
WCK, celebrity chef José Andrés’ nonprofit that has provided food relief during international crises since 2010, has gathered across Southern California to feed impacted communities since the fires broke out on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Katie Couric talked to both Garner and Andrés about their efforts in a video posted on her Instagram Friday afternoon.
“Well, first of all zero percent of it is about me because I have my home and I am safe,” the actress began. “I’m not a spokesperson for people who’ve gone through this. But it’s pretty devastating to witness, obviously. I think everyone is in shock, honestly, Katie. I just think that it hasn’t even begun to hit us.”
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Jennifer Garner volunteers with World Central Kitchen. TheImageDirect.com
Garner went on to reflect on her past work with the nonprofit organization Save the Children.
“When I’ve gone to flood sites or hurricane evacuations or just disaster relief, you go scared of what you’re going to see and you always come away filled with hope and with faith and humanity, and that’s the opportunity here,” she said.
While Garner noted that Save the Children is currently mounting its response to the wildfires, she added, “The first thing you do is feed people.”
“And that’s what he’s done,” she said of Andrés. “So I just reached out to him through Save and I said, ‘How can I put my hands to work?’ And I’m lucky. I know everyone in LA is desperate to be put to work and there are so few ways to do it. I did get to shoot to the top with Chef, which is very, very lucky.”
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Palisades fires on Jan. 9. DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty
More than 130,000 people have fled their homes as a series of wildfires rapidly continues to engulf large parts of the Los Angeles area as of Jan. 10. In just a handful of days, the blazes rapidly grew to some 29,000 acres or 45 square miles, and there have been at least 10 fire-related deaths, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Thursday, Jan. 9.
Many residents, including celebrities, were forced to leave their homes. PEOPLE reported Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Anna Faris, Cobie Smulders and Taran Killam, John Goodman, Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg and Jennifer Grey as some of the stars who have lost their homes or had to evacuate.
