Celebrity chef, José Andrés, revealed Jennifer Garner was eager to lend a helping hand amid the devastating LA wildfires, which have killed more than two dozen people.
Last weekend, the Golden Globe winner, 52, rushed to help those in need by volunteering with World Central Kitchen in Los Angeles.
‘She lost a friend [and] she was there like one more,’ Andrés, 55, told People of how it felt to have Garner join him in bringing meals to families affected by the fires and first responders.
He continued: ‘It feels like she was my friend since childhood — and we just met, we barely met — and there she was. I did not have to tell her what to do, because she’ll always find something to do on her own.’
The Spanish-American restaurateur, who was awarded a National Humanities Medal from the White House for his work with World Central Kitchen, also described how the actress gave ‘hugs to so many people’ while distributing food to those in need.
‘I think that’s almost like a psychology worry that I don’t think anybody realizes, but that’s so deep and so important,’ Andrés noted.
Celebrity chef, José Andrés, revealed Jennifer Garner was eager to lend a helping hand amid the devastating LA wildfires, which have killed more than two dozen people (seen this month)
The chef also commended ‘everybody that was able to show up even for [even] an hour’ because ‘they don’t have to.’
‘Some of them are suffering the consequences of the fire, but there [here] they are. And they don’t do it where there are cameras, they’re doing it where there is nobody, and that makes it very special,’ he told the outlet.
Last weekend, the Alias star quietly volunteered with World Central Kitchen, which has provided over 109 million meals to families affected by conflict, natural disasters, and the climate crisis in 20 countries.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that provides food relief.
While serving the Altadena community, she stepped up to help prepare food and wash dishes.
During a recent interview with MSNBC, Garner emotionally revealed that she had ‘lost a friend’ during the catastrophic event – which has now confirmed to have taken 27 lives.
At one point while talking to journalist Katy Tur, Garner shared, ‘I did lose a friend. And for our church, it’s really tender. So, I don’t feel like I should talk about her yet.’
‘But yeah, I did lose a friend who did not get out on time,’ she continued as her voice cracked over the tragic loss.
Jennifer also reflected on seeing the destruction of thousands of homes in the Palisades community and expressed, ‘I just…my heart bleeds for all my friends.’
‘I mean, I can think of a hundred families and there are 5,000 homes lost. Without even thinking, I can write out a list of a hundred friends that lost their homes.’
The Golden Globe winner, 52, rushed to help those in need by volunteering with World Central Kitchen in Los Angeles last weekend
!['She lost a friend [and] she was there like one more,' Andrés, 55, told People of how it felt to have Garner join him in bringing meals to families affected by the fires and first responders](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/19/16/94266955-0-image-a-7_1737304346309.jpg)
‘She lost a friend [and] she was there like one more,’ Andrés, 55, told People of how it felt to have Garner join him in bringing meals to families affected by the fires and first responders
The Spanish-American restaurateur, who was awarded a National Humanities Medal from the White House for his work with World Central Kitchen, also described how the actress gave ‘hugs to so many people’ while distributing food to those in need (Andres pictured in 2023)
Garner then admitted, ‘I feel almost guilty walking through my house just, you know, what can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the safety that I have?’
The star – who is also an ambassador for the nonprofit Save The Children – said the organization ‘will be in shelters helping parents and kids and keeping them safe and social and emotional…we’ll be here in a big way very, very soon.’
Elsewhere in her conversation with Tur, the actress stated, ‘I’ve lived in and around the Palisades for 25 years, so I just think all of us, we want to get our hands into working, somehow, to be helpful.’
‘And because of my work with Save The Children, we have a relationship with the chef,’ she said, referencing to Jose Andres – who is the founder of World Central Kitchen.
‘And I was able to just say, ‘Can I be with you for the day? What can I do to help? Put me to work.”
During a recent interview with MSNBC, Garner emotionally revealed that she had ‘lost a friend’ during the catastrophic event – which has now confirmed to have taken 27 lives
At one point while talking to journalist Katy Tur, Garner shared, ‘I did lose a friend. And for our church, it’s really tender. So, I don’t feel like I should talk about her yet’
The Methodist Church that Jennifer would attend burned down in the fires, and she told Katy while becoming emotional, ‘It’s my family’s church.’
After a brief pause, Garner continued, ‘And it’s where my kids went to Sunday school. We lit the Advent candle together there a couple of weeks ago. We watched the little kids perform. It’s a preschool. It’s a central part of our community.’
‘It’s a gathering point for the entire community. And full of really quirky, cool, mostly blue collar people of the community. And just, like, I loved belonging there because wherever I went, I would run into somebody from our community.’
She later added, ‘The people are strong and the sense of the community is strong. We will look after each other, and that is still here. That is still stronger than ever.’
