A day with WCK in Kherson
Over the past year and a half, WCK has established regional teams across Ukraine capable of meeting the complex food and water needs of communities impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion. Our teams have the capacity to respond to attacks within minutes and deliver nourishing meals and food kits to hard-to-reach villages just a few miles from occupying forces. We invite you to see what a typical day of work looks like through the eyes of WCK Food Fighters who make up our team in Kherson.
July 31, 2023
WCK teams in Ukraine rarely have to think about their clothing—they’ve been wearing WCK Relief Team shirts every day for months. With temperatures climbing in the summer, they’ll only have to decide between pants and shorts until they reach a meal delivery location or the site of an attack and put on body armor.
After getting ready on this particular morning, several team members meet for breakfast to plan out their day. On the agenda: deliver thousands of meal kits to families in communities across Kherson Oblast where Russian attacks are a daily reality.
After breakfast, the team heads straight to WCK’s regional warehouse in Kryvyy Rih where additional staff is busy loading food kits into large trucks. In many places—especially towns that were previously under Russian occupation—families are able to cook but are struggling with access to ingredients. We meet this need by packing kits containing food and other kitchen staples like flour, salt, pasta, oil, cheese, produce, and canned meats.
By 8:55 am, one of the trucks departs the facility for what is a nearly 200 mile round trip journey. The driver and support team have two route options: a road that is further from the frontline but in very bad condition or a road in better repair that runs much closer to Russian positions. Because the truck is fully loaded, the driver settles on the latter option as the weight makes the vehicle susceptible to breakdowns on bad roads. Once food kits are offloaded, the truck can safely traverse the road furthest from the frontline.
Less than 10 minutes after departing, a phone call comes in: two Russian missiles hit an educational institute and a residential building in Kryvyi Rih, killing at least four people. First responders requested the assistance of WCK’s Emergency Response Team. Thanks to the capacity of the regional team, the food kit delivery can proceed while other team members in the city mobilize to the site of the attack with fresh meals.
At 10 am, the truck driver stops so the team can take a coffee break and call local contacts in communities where deliveries will be made, ensuring Russian forces are not currently shelling the area. By this time, their first stop is approximately 40 miles away on what is the most dangerous stretch of road. For their safety, the team puts on their body armor and helmets.
One hour later, the team arrives at the first drop-off point in a village located just a couple of miles from Russian forces right on the banks of the Dnipro River. Time is of the essence, the delivery must be made as quickly and discreetly as possible. The team camouflages the truck to minimize the chances of detection and the entire offloading process takes just five minutes. While quick, it does offer some time to connect with people receiving food kits. On this occasion, several locals voice concern about Russian drones that have been flying over the village.
The next two delivery locations are in villages a bit farther from Russian positions—still these communities have experienced persistent shelling. As the convoy moves along, a call comes in from a contact in the area urging the trucks to speed up in case shelling resumes along the road. Both sides of the highway are littered with unexploded ordnance, making it unsafe to turn off the main road, so the driver heeds the advice and speeds up.
The final two deliveries take about three hours to complete. It is important for the team to work efficiently and ensure they can make the return trip home while there is still daylight. Having delivered the last of the food kits for the day, the truck takes the safer road back to the warehouse in Kryvyy Rih where preparations are already underway for the following day.
As soon as the team arrives at the warehouse, they finish assembling and loading another 1,000 food kits that need to be ready for a 7 am departure the following morning.
By the early evening, all preparations are done and the warehouse team heads to the site of that morning’s attacks to provide additional support to the Emergency Response Team who has been there for nearly eight hours.
The work is exhausting but necessary—our teams mobilize tirelessly all across Ukraine daily. The events of this particular day in Kherson Oblast are not outliers, this is a typical day for the Ukrainian Food Fighters who have joined WCK to support families in need.
Learn more about our #ChefsForUkraine response here. For real-time updates, follow WCK on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
