TaKorean is one of three food trucks offering relief today to people affected by prolonged power outages. (Photo by Yostinator)

For people still affected by the power outages brought on by Friday night’s derecho storm, a group of the District’s food trucks are teaming up to provide some much-needed relief.

At 2 p.m. today, the Big Cheese and TaKorean trucks will drive over to the Benning Park Community Center at 5100 Southern Avenue SE with donations of meals, snacks and bottled water. At the same time, José Andrés’ food truck, Pepe, will head up to the Long Branch Library in Silver Spring to offer some fresh meals and cold water to suburban residents still languishing in the dark.

Pepco says that half of its 443,000 customers who lost power due to Friday’s storm are back online, but Ward 8 and Silver Spring are still among the areas with the greatest number of customers still waiting to get their power restored.

Patrick Rathbone, who runs the Big Cheese Truck, says he’s bringing 40 sandwiches as well as whatever’s left from today’s lunch rush, along with a few cases of bottled water to Benning Park. TaKorean is offering a similar load, while Pepe is taking 100 meals to Silver Spring.

The whole effort was organized in a matter of hours at the prompting of a DJ on Fresh FM 94.7, Rathbone says, and may be continued through the week if needed.

Additionally, with prolonged power outages, many residents will likely see their refrigerated food decay. The D.C. Department of Public Works will be collecting spoiled food today and tomorrow at six public schools—LaSalle-Backus Elementary, McKinley Technology High School, Key Elementary, Wilson High School, Ferebee-Hope Elementary and Hope Elementary. DPW trucks will be at those locations between 3 and 7 p.m.