José Andrés Says Jennifer Garner Jumped Right in to Volunteer for L.A. Fires: ‘I Didn’t Have to Tell Her What to Do’

José Andrés was eager to step in with relief efforts amid the Los Angeles wildfires.

The chef’s organization World Central Kitchen — which provides meals in times of crisis — was on the ground in California on Jan. 10. Jennifer Garner joined him in helping the team bring meals from restaurants and food truck partners to first responders and families affected by the fires.

“She lost a friend [and] she was there like one more,” Andrés, 55, told PEOPLE while hosting an event during the Cayman Cookout at The Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman.

“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,” he said.

The restaurateur shared that Garner, 52, was “giving 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,” he told PEOPLE.

“Everybody that was able to show up even for an hour, for me, they’re amazing people, because they don’t have to,” Andrés continued to PEOPLE. “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.”

On Friday, Jan. 17 the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed there have been 27 fatalities as a result of the wildfires, which started on Jan. 7. Meanwhile, thousands of other people have fled their homes.

World Central Kitchen has fed the frontlines as part of disaster relief in Gaza, Ukraine, and countries all over the world since 2010. After the L.A. fires broke out, Garner said she used her “celebrity privilege” to aid WCK’s efforts.

“It’s just like you need to do something with your hands and so I took advantage a little bit, of celebrity privilege and called chef [Andrés] and said, ‘Please, can I come with you?'” she told NBC News.

Garner told MSNBC that she knew one of the people who died during the fires.

“I did lose a friend, and for our church, it’s really tender so I don’t feel like we should talk about it yet,” Garner said, her voice cracking. “I did lose a friend. She didn’t get out in time.”

“My heart bleeds for my friends,” Garner continued. “I mean, I can think of 100 families, and there are 5,000 homes lost. I can — without even [thinking] — I could just write out a list of 100 friends who lost their homes.”

“I feel almost guilty walking through my house,” she added. “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?”