Nate Mook turned his passion for technology into filmmaking and then philanthropy.

He will share his stories in Fresno, speaking at the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Saroyan Theatre. GV Wire is a sponsor of Town Hall.

Communities come together in times of need, Mook said.

“I’m excited to talk about some of my experiences, what I’ve experienced around the world with our humanitarian efforts, what I’ve learned, some of the lessons, some of the incredible stories of the people that I’ve met along the way,” Mook said, speaking with GV Wire while returning from Ukraine.

Although he’s traveled through Fresno before, this will be his first extended stop, Mook said.

Tech to World Central Kitchen

Mook grew up northern Virginia — he still lives in Washington, D.C. with his cat — a self-described “tech geek.” He then worked in tech in southern California.

“I got the itch to switch some things up, and I started to travel the world and started to work internationally with NGOs,” Mook said. “(I wanted to) step back from the computer and get outside and see what was bigger or what was going on in the world.”

That led to telling his stories through film. As cameras became easier to access, the creative storytelling appealed to Mook.

Some his documentaries include “Undiscovered Haiti with José Andrés,” “Baltimore Rising,” and “We Feed People.”

He met Andrés, the chef behind World Central Kitchen, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

“He wanted to take what he did with food and bring it to everyone. And I loved that idea, that concept,” Mook said.

From natural disasters to refugee crises, WCK and Mook went around the world — from hurricane-ravaged areas, to wildfire relief in California.

“We just started feeding people. And that right there was sort of the birth of this mission of World Central Kitchen to feed people during times of disaster,” Mook said.

Mook said in his five years as CEO of WCK, he increased operations from $1 million a year to $500 million.

Work in Ukraine

Mook helped provide humanitarian relief in Ukraine shortly after the 2022 Russian invasion.

The day of Mook’s speech on Wednesday marks the 1,000th day of the conflict.

With the help of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation — Howard is the son of Warren Buffett — Mook spent the last two years on several humanitarian projects in Ukraine.

“I fell in love with Ukraine and the people,” Mook said.

Humanitarians provided $1.8 billion in support since the start of the war, reaching 7.2 million affected, the United Nations said.

Ukrainians are cautiously optimistic with the election of Donald Trump.

“Ukrainians are hopeful that maybe a change in administration will bring some new momentum, maybe positive momentum … I think any potential for a shift could be good,” Mook said.

Anxiety remains as well.

“People are tired and it feels like things are stuck right now. And so I think there is hope that a new administration, maybe they can convince Russia to pull back a little bit, maybe they can find a way forward,” Mook said.

A New Generation of Giving

Mook helped blend his tech background with operating major nonprofits. That meant transparency and accountability of how donations are used.

The younger generation didn’t just want to give to their parents’ choices like Red Cross or Salvation Army, Mook said.

“We were able to tap into the things … the storytelling, the film, the video, social media. So we basically were able to build a platform where we could show people what we were doing with their donations in real time. And it was a huge game changer,” Mook said.

The younger generation, Mook said, wants to know now, not waiting for an annual report.

“We not only were doing the important work on the ground, but we were also building a community and people could see and be part of what we were doing in real time,” Mook said.