Aiding refugees who have arrived in Armenia
Nearly 120,000 people have sought refuge in Armenia after conflict intensified in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. WCK Chef Corps member Aline Kamakian was on the ground first, mobilizing a network of local chefs and volunteers to provide food for the thousands of families crossing into Armenia. Aline is a Lebanese-Armenian chef, writer, and culinary ambassador who first worked alongside World Central Kitchen after the Beirut explosion in 2020. The nonprofit Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) also quickly began supporting people fleeing for their safety, and their volunteers have been working alongside WCK since we first arrived in the country.
When WCK’s Relief Team arrived on the ground just after Aline, we quickly formulated a plan. “Our strategy has been to first focus support to the arriving population in the two main cities—Goris and Vayk—where they register with the government,” explained Melissa Gluck, WCK’s response lead in Armenia. Our team then began setting up efforts to help families as they continued on their journeys, “to support families as they move through the country and work to resettle. [WCK is] now branching out into Yerevan and Ararat.”
Since arriving, our teams have provided more than 40,000 hot meals, many paired with lavash—a traditional Armenian bread. WCK and AGBU are also building and distributing food kits—dry goods like buckwheat, rice, lentils, along with fresh produce and spices—that include enough to feed a family for four days. These kits are helpful for people who have been taken in by their friends and family in Armenia—they are able to cook for themselves, but might not have the resources to purchase food.
We are also supporting refugees in shelters and other temporary housing—including the Arma Hotel in Vayk. An entire extended family—45 people in total—are temporarily living in the small hotel, whose staff welcomed them with open arms and at no charge. “Now they all do everything together, cook, clean, and share meals,” explained Mollie Kaufmann, WCK’s East Coast Culinary Manager, who is on the ground in Armenia.
The WCK team has provided about 100 pounds of fresh produce, another 100 pounds of dry goods, and almost 90 pounds of beef and pork to the hotel to help feed families. The hotel was kind enough to invite our teams to share dinner with them one night. “The Arma and the family who run it are the ray of light in a very, very dark time,” said Mollie.
As we continue to provide food kits and work with restaurant partners, our team also finished building a Field Kitchen in the city of Yerevan. Within hours of the setup, the kitchen churned out 1,500 hot meals and will continue to cook thousands of meals daily for refugees still seeking stable housing options. Giant bags of dried herbs and spices are already arriving—like Armenian basil, bay leaves, mint, and black pepper—and are lining the shelves, waiting to be used in warm, comforting meals.
Many of the people helping to set up and prepare to cook in this kitchen are refugees themselves. Despite the heartbreaking situation, they have come to help WCK provide meals for their fellow Armenians. Amidst the cleaning, chopping, searing, and simmering, we hope that these incredible volunteers will find a moment of peace and a sense of home.
Learn more about our efforts here. For real-time updates, follow WCK on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Help us keeping cooking for Armenian families in need.
