WCK scales up response efforts in support of Ukraine
Less than one week ago, Russia unleashed a military attack on neighboring Ukraine. With ongoing threats of explosions & gunfire, more than 660,000 people have fled Ukraine—primarily women, children, and seniors—and are now seeking refuge in nearby countries. The journey out is long and arduous, with people facing wait times of up to 72 hours at border posts where they hope to cross over to safety.
In support of refugees escaping the violence, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals in Poland within a day of the initial attack and are now set up at eight border crossings, as well in Przemyśl—a city receiving many refugee families.
In Medyka—a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing—the team is serving round-the-clock meals like Żurek, a traditional Polish soup made with white sausage, smoked meat, and sour fermented rye flour. Temperatures are cold, so we’re focusing on serving hot, comforting meals to anyone in need. In Hrebenne, Royal Catering set up tents to provide 1,000 plates of chicken with potatoes, along with cabbage, carrot, and beet salad for lunch.
Together with 26 restaurants, we’ve served over 41,000 meals so far and are continuing to expand our efforts in Poland. Supporting local group Master’s Catering, the team is setting up a kitchen in Krościenko where we will have the capacity to cook 10,000 plates of food each day.
Too often people only help themselves, but I believe we have to help each other.
Wiktor, WCK volunteer from Jaworzno in southern Poland
Yesterday, working with World Food Programme, José crossed into Krakovets to deliver food on the Ukrainian side of the border. WCK is now looking into the possibility of delivering meals each day to families on the Ukrainian side of the border, waiting in line across the eight entry points. There is a great need for fresh food in Ukraine as people are traveling long distances with very little to eat, so we are going to support as best we can.
While our Relief Team continues to explore the safest and best way to provide meals beyond the entry points in Ukraine, WCK is currently providing remote support to restaurants inside the country cooking meals for anyone in need. Currently, WCK meals are being distributed in five Ukrainian cities, including in Lviv where we’re supporting a Catholic charity, sending them flour to bake their daily bread. On Monday, the charity was able to expand their efforts up to the border crossing.
Upon arriving in Romania Monday night, WCK’s Relief Team headed to the Romania-Ukraine border to begin food distribution. While our team works to onboard restaurant partners, we will be bringing a local food trailer to prepare meals for people at the border, with hopes of delivering to the Ukrainian side as well. Additionally, we are working to provide hot plates of food for people staying in shelters and other locations temporarily housing refugees.
In addition to meals being served in Poland, Ukraine, and Romania, WCK’s first meals in Moldova were provided to children and families at the Chișinău Airport. Local restaurants served fresh plates of baked chicken over pasta with a tomato salad and bread. Working with local groups, we will be expanding our reach in the country as needed.
Our response has grown rapidly, and WCK teams are establishing meal distribution points in a total of six countries as we determine how we can best support Ukrainians arriving in Hungary and Slovakia. The number of people entering surrounding countries fluctuates daily, so we are going to continue to closely monitor the situation and are ready to adapt to best assist families in the coming days and weeks.
We are anticipating this becoming one of our largest and most complex emergency responses to date. WCK is currently serving tens of thousands of meals per day — as this crisis develops and rapidly evolves, that number could quickly grow to into hundreds of thousands, so our teams are working hard to be ready for whatever support is necessary. We will be adding additional food supplier partners and are also looking to set up community kitchens that are capable of cooking even more meals. WCK will expand our efforts within Ukraine as more shelters are established, and help provide meals to refugees as they resettle elsewhere.
For the latest on our #ChefsForUkraine response, follow WCK on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
