WCK marks Easter in Ukraine
Families across Ukraine recently marked their third Easter under Russian occupation. As we have done since first responding to the conflict, World Central Kitchen teams in the country embarked on a mission to bring joy and uphold tradition by providing thousands of pasky—traditional Easter cakes—to offer a sense of home.
WCK provided nearly 20,000 cakes in regions where we regularly distribute meals and food kits. We mobilized to some of the most remote communities in Ukraine, ensuring that the spirit of Easter reached every corner of the country.
People live under constant threat of attack in cities throughout Ukraine. Ongoing conflict has left many families without access to basic utilities and jobs. Marking a holiday with a special treat is out of reach for countless families. By providing Easter cakes we share a sweet treat and offer hope and solidarity.
Easter in Ukraine is more than just a religious holiday, it’s a testament to the resilience and unity of its people. Easter here intertwines spiritual devotion with cultural traditions, offering hope and comfort in the face of unthinkable circumstances.
As the most important holiday in the Orthodox calendar, Easter symbolizes spiritual renewal and the triumph of life over death. Beyond its religious connotations, Easter fosters bonds of community and family. Families come together to attend church, celebrate together, and share traditional foods like pasky and pysanky—beautifully painted Easter eggs.
WCK prepared weeks in advance to make this special delivery possible. Leading up to Easter, WCK and our partners prepared thousands of pasky to distribute to families who couldn’t prepare them for themselves.
In Mykolaiv, our team baked 10,000 cakes destined for communities deeply affected by conflict, where the simple act of celebrating Easter is a challenge. In places like Ternovi Pody, where only three houses remain standing out of 165 before the war, our regular deliveries of water and food kits offer a lifeline to families. Last week, when we also provided cakes, residents were overwhelmed with joy.
Our team met Zinaida while delivering pasky in Matrosivka, a village in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region. “Thank you for traveling so many kilometers to come to us,” she said. “My life has turned upside down, but I will not compromise on the traditions. Baking Easter cakes and decorating Easter eggs is a must.”
My life has turned upside down, but I will not compromise on the traditions. Baking Easter cakes and decorating Easter eggs is a must.
Zinaida
Further north, in Chernihiv, we heard from Oksana about how our Easter cakes brought a sense of normalcy to a community ravaged by conflict. “The Easter holidays in the past were completely different, without this war. We always prepared for the holiday together with our family. Now everything is not the same,” she said. “Your Easter cakes reminded me of peaceful times. Somehow, the mood seems a little more festive. It’s like a ray of sunshine in cloudy weather.”
Your Easter cakes reminded me of peaceful times. Somehow, the mood seems a little more festive. It’s like a ray of sunshine in cloudy weather.
Oksana
WCK teams constantly adapt to ensure support reaches people who need it, when they need it. We also avoid duplicating the efforts of other organizations in the communities we serve. This was no different with our Easter deliveries around Kharkiv where we provided cakes to residents of Vovchansk and to shelters housing persons with disabilities and seniors displaced by the conflict.
“We identified these locations because another organization delivered flour there, but there has been no gas since the beginning of the war, electricity is hourly, and due to very frequent shelling there is sometimes no electricity at all, so people there cannot cook anything or bake Easter cakes,” said Inna, WCK’s regional lead in Kharkiv. “There is no store, so there is nowhere to buy food. And this is very important for people, so when we arrived, we saw tears of joy because they did not expect it, they thought that everyone had forgotten about them.”
In Kyiv, Zhanna, our local leader in the region, witnessed firsthand the impact of our efforts. “People were so happy to get our cakes as this is a tradition that cannot even be broken in such times. It is a great joy for me to see that the sadness on people’s faces disappears thanks to our work. Everyone thanked us and sent greetings to everyone,” she said. “For people, it is not only a sweet greeting, it is a symbol of unity, goodness, peace, God’s blessing, and our unity, that you are not alone, we can be there for you and provide support in difficult times as well as in such joyful and bright moments.”
Throughout Ukraine, our efforts to provide Easter cakes were met with appreciation and warmth. These gestures brought joy to recipients and reminded us of the importance of coming together to support one another.
