#ChefsForUkraine: Over 12 million meals served across eight countries
Across Ukraine, WCK continues to expand our efforts and adapt to the ongoing situation—we’re bringing hundreds of thousands of daily meals and food kits to over 2,000 distribution sites including in recently liberated cities, isolated communities where there is little to no other humanitarian assistance, locations supporting displaced families, and neighborhoods caught in the crossfire of the invasion.
When the attack on Ukraine began in February, Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was an immediate target. For weeks, parts of the region, located in the north within hours of the Russian border, were under occupation. Since retreating from the area, Russian forces have now increased attacks in the Donbas region in southeastern Ukraine. Although thousands of civilians have fled the area, many people are unable to leave or have chosen to stay in their homes as the situation turns more and more dangerous.
Earlier this week, when José and the team arrived for our daily distribution in one community there was already a long line of people who had been waiting for up to five hours to receive food. The city is north of Kyiv—close to the Russian border—and because it was under occupation not too long ago, there is very little food for the community. It’s a long journey and our team drives on many makeshift bridges to get here.
After distributing all of our 2,000 grocery bags and meals, we bought more fruit from the local market to distribute. To provide some warmth in the 48 degree weather, we also served comforting tea.
Amid the ongoing threats, WCK restaurant and delivery partners are determined to provide meals and food products to frontline communities and shelters. 24 miles outside of Kyiv, Brovary was hit by missiles this week, leaving the area without power or water. Our restaurant partners in Kyiv, who are already cooking thousands of meals for hospitals and liberated cities, expanded their capacity to ensure we provided meals to the hard-hit community. Also nearby, José and the team delivered food bags in Shybene and Borodyanka.
In northeast Ukraine, attacks have also increased in Kharkiv—Russia’s second most populous city—where WCK has been providing meals since the war began. Despite some team members being injured by a recent bombing, local restaurant Yaposhka has resumed cooking in a new kitchen location.
Adapting to the situation in Kharkiv, our team is working hard to meet the needs of the community including providing generators, food for animals, and offering supplies from our local warehouse where trucks and private vehicles pick up necessities to take back to their villages. North of Kharkiv, near the Russian border and just miles from invading troops, WCK is delivering food each week to smaller, isolated families in need of critical food support.
Lviv, a city that has been mostly spared by the violence in western Ukraine, was attacked this week, including near the railway station. Still, the WCK team unloaded six trucks full of food onto train wagons headed to cities in the east like Trostyanets and Kramatorsk.
Zaporizhzia, in the southeast, is one of the first stops for people who’ve escaped Mariupol and nearby occupied cities in the Donbas. Together with our local partners and restaurants, WCK is supporting families arriving daily. Most families come by private vehicle which are often damaged from the dangerous journey out. At a reception center where we are providing meals, families receive clothes, medicine, and toys for kids.
In addition to cooking for seniors, firefighters, and families in need, WCK restaurant partners across Odesa—a southern port city on the Black Sea—are ramping up efforts to prepare for more refugees arriving from Mykolaiv, Mariupol, Kherson, and Kharkiv.
Everybody must do their part for peace in the world. For me, it’s preparing hot meals for refugees, for people who need it. Many people do not have the money to make or buy hot food. Some are alone, it’s important we don’t forget them in this war time.
Chef Viktor, WCK partner
Just south of Odesa, the city of Chornomorsk is hosting 1,000 refugees and preparing for more. Together with local restaurants, WCK is delivering daily comforting meals to shelters, seniors, and people with limited resources.
In Poland, we’ve expanded our efforts beyond border crossings to support refugees across the country. Not only are our restaurant partners providing much needed food assistance but they are also hiring refugees wanting to help cook for others in need.
If you’re not busy, you think about Ukraine & loved ones that stayed there. It’s helpful to think about something else other than this tragedy.
A Ukrainian refugeee preparing meals for families arriving in Warsaw
This past week, our WCK Relief Kitchen in Przemysl also prepared special meals for Passover and Easter—menu items included brisket, roasted chicken legs with mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, tabbouleh, and potato salad with dill.
Together with Chef Jozef and his team, WCK has been serving hundreds of daily plates in Slovakia including at a reception center in Košice. While some refugees just arrived, many have been here for days or even weeks—some families have already begun to secure housing until the war is over. Working hard in a makeshift kitchen, a total of 50 volunteers help prepare a variety of meals with the majority transported to the center one hour away.
Germany is now the eighth country where WCK is supporting refugees. This week, local restaurant Kuultivo began serving nourishing meals for families at Safespace in Leipzig. Lunch included hot chickpea curry with rice, pumpkin, and coriander. The space is a hub for the community to gather and relax, and we are seeing people continuing to return daily.
Thousands of meal distributions also continue in Moldova, Romania, Hungary, and Spain—across all eight countries we are serving 300,000 meals each day. Supporting more than 420 WCK restaurant partners and counting, our response is growing as we find new areas in need of support. WCK is committed to the people of Ukraine and will be here as long as we are needed.
Without our restaurant partners, volunteers, and supporters around the world, our #ChefsForUkraine response would not be possible. Thank you to all who allow us to serve a plate of food where it is needed most.
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