WCK acts with the urgency of now. We were among the first organizations to step up and support Ukrainians impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion and have provided hundreds of millions of meals in Ukraine and seven other countries where refugees fled in search of safety.
To highlight the work of the brave Food Fighters in Ukraine, a group of staff, partners, and volunteers have come together to represent WCK in the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon. Together, known as WCK’s Meal Milers, this group of runners from all backgrounds has set personal fundraising goals to support Ukrainians in need. Learn more about our work in Ukraine here.
Meet the Team
Inna
Inna joined WCK’s team in her native Ukraine shortly after we served our first meals to families fleeing for their safety. Now, she is part of our Emergency Response Team, working tirelessly to offer critical and immediate support to civilians impacted by Russian missile and artillery strikes. Inna is driven by a deep sense of purpose and a commitment to serving Ukrainians in need.
Karla
Chef Karla first joined WCK efforts as a volunteer in Puerto Rico following Hurricane María in 2017. The Mexican chef has since cooked with WCK in response to other hurricanes, the Covid-19 pandemic, earthquakes, and the war in Ukraine. Cooking is what Karla loves to do and working alongside WCK has enabled her to do what she loves while helping communities in need.
Nino
In 2020, when Nino had to temporarily close his restaurants in Madrid due to Covid he joined WCK’s efforts in Spain to lead a kitchen and prepare nourishing, hot meals for the community. Since then, Nino has become one of the driving forces behind WCK’s work in Spain in support of Ukrainian and Afghan refugees.
Rob
Rob is a friend of WCK since its earliest days in Haiti and CEO of Acceso, a WCK-partner since 2019. Over the years, Rob and Acceso have connected thousands of local smallholder farmers to WCK emergency feeding operations in Colombia, Venezuela, and Haiti.
Dan
Volunteers are a cornerstone of WCK’s work around the world. Dan is one of the volunteers who joined our team in his native Poland to provide nourishing meals to Ukrainians crossing the border in search of safety. His commitment to service helped bring hope to families during the early days of the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Javier
Many years ago, José Andrés shared his vision for feeding the world with Javier. Since then, Javier has volunteered in many WCK-led emergency responses, including #ChefsForUkraine, and is a member of the organization’s Board of Directors where he acts as Secretary. Javier created the Meal Milers to share with the world what he has seen first hand: the unwavering determination and courage of the people of WCK.
Sasha
Oleksandr—or Sasha to people who know him—is a Ukrainian filmmaker who joined the WCK team shortly after our #ChefsForUkraine response began. Sasha is constantly traveling the country to document the work of his fellow Ukrainians supporting their neighbors in need for the world to see.
Richard
As part of the WCK Communications team, Richard works with our teams throughout the world to amplify the voices of the communities the organization serves. By engaging daily with our team in Ukraine, Richard uses the WCK website, email communications, and other creative projects to share their stories of hope and strength with a global audience.
Coach Germán
Two-time New York City marathon winner Germán Silva has donated his time and expertise to develop personalized training plans for the Meal Milers. Each runner has their own plan that Coach Germán is closely tracking to ensure everyone makes it to marathon day prepared to perform to the best of their abilities.
Support the Team
- Donate to a Meal Miler. Each runner has set a fundraising goal to support our work in Ukraine—fuel their efforts here.
- Visit us at the Marathon Expo. WCK will have a booth at the official TCS New York City Marathon Expo. Stop by to learn more and meet members of our team!
- Cheer the Meal Milers on in person. If you’re watching the marathon in person, cheer on the Meal Milers! Click here to download signs that you can print at any local print shop—let’s show the WCK spirit across all five boroughs!
- Track our runners on race day. Can’t make it to New York? You can still follow our runners through the TCS New York City Marathon app! We’ll update this page with instructions and bib numbers closer to race day.
- Learn more about #ChefsForUkraine. WCK has been actively responding to the crisis in Ukraine since Russia’s initial invasion on February 24, 2022. Click here to learn more about our work and why the Meal Milers are running.