Second Harvest Debuts New Meal Response Unit in Winston-Salem

On Saturday, August 9, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC successfully completed the first trial run of its new Meal Response Unit—a mobile kitchen designed to deliver hot, nourishing meals to communities in crisis.

The Meal Response Unit was stationed at Hope Community Church, a Second Harvest partner, in Winston-Salem from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., serving freshly prepared hot meals alongside the church’s regularly scheduled food distribution event. The trial allowed our team to fully test deployment operations in a real-world setting, from set-up and cooking to meal service and breakdown.

“Disasters often strike without warning, but our response is never uncertain,” said Second Harvest CEO Eric Aft. “This new Meal Response Unit allows us to respond even faster and more effectively than ever before. It’s one more way we’re living our commitment to be there for our neighbors—before, during, and after disaster strikes.”

More Than a Kitchen on Wheels

Compact but fully equipped, the Meal Response Unit is built to travel directly into affected areas and prepare hundreds of hot meals each day. Inspired by the models of organizations like World Central Kitchen and Mercy Chefs, the unit gives Second Harvest greater flexibility to meet urgent food needs in the immediate aftermath of disaster.

Chef Jeff Bacon, who leads Second Harvest's Providence culinary programs, underscored the unit’s deeper significance:

“This unit is more than a kitchen on wheels,” he said. “It’s a symbol of readiness, compassion, and the belief that everyone deserves access to nourishing meals, especially in their hardest moments. With this new capacity, we’re preparing not just meals, but moments of relief and connection for those in crisis.”

Building on a Legacy of Disaster Response

Second Harvest has long played a critical role in disaster relief across North Carolina, serving as a staging area for incoming food donations and coordinating the distribution of emergency supplies, water, cleaning products, and prepared meals.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Second Harvest expanded support beyond food, awarding grants to help food assistance agencies restock and replace equipment, sourcing supplies for impacted farmers, and—through our Providence programs—preparing thousands of fresh meals daily for first responders, cleanup crews, and affected families.

The new Meal Response Unit is the next step in this ongoing work, allowing us to bring hot meals directly to impacted neighborhoods, even when traditional kitchens are inaccessible. With North Carolina’s hurricane season peaking between August and October, the timing of this launch could not be more important.

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