Supporting Ukrainians in Sumy Oblast
World Central Kitchen arrived in the Sumy region of Ukraine at the beginning of April 2022, just weeks after Russia launched its full scale invasion. Today, in the midst of an energy and food shortage caused by Russian attacks, WCK remains.
Sumy Oblast shares an almost 350-mile border with Russia and contains one of just six “green corridors” where civilians can evacuate Russian occupied territory. The corridor in Sumy is only open between the hours of 9 AM and 9 PM. Any movement outside this 12-hour window in the corridor is increasingly perilous and other areas along the border have been heavily damaged by the fighting. According to the Ukrainian regional military administration, up to 500 strikes can occur in a day in Sumy Oblast.
WCK’s work in the region supports the busiest transit points in the green corridor, the frontlines, and the civilians who remain sheltered in their homes. Our teams provide aid at the Sumy and Oktyrka evacuation transit points and at the border. These meals provide welcome nourishment after the stressful and difficult journey.
A traveler from Luhansk told WCK about her trip. “The road was very long, it took more than two days,” she said. “They also kept us at the border for a long time, about 5 hours. There was no opportunity to eat en route, and here we were given very tasty meals. Thank you.”
Although the food and water needs at the transit points are high, WCK staff also deliver food kits people’s homes. In June, more than 2,400 food kits were taken to people in the region–the equivalent of 50,000 meals.
The most recent push to provide food kits in the areas of Sumy most heavily hit by Russian attacks began in March. The border communities WCK serves like Velyka Pysarivka, Krasnopillia, Bilopillia, and Vorozhba suffer as energy and water sources are severely compromised from shelling making everyday tasks such as cooking extremely difficult if not impossible. WCK’s Sumy Regional Supervisor, Anton delivered the first batch of aid himself to families in Velyka Pysarivka. Even with aid, the difficult lifestyle imposed by the years-long war has pushed many to head to the evacuation points.
According to Anton, many of the people at the evacuation points are families with children. “It’s very hard to see in reality. Even if you have seen a lot in the past. To see children forced to flee from shelling, scared, and possibly losing their home forever. It breaks my heart.”
Kseniia, WCK’s Sumy Emergency Coordinator, has also seen the increased Russian attacks drive more and more people from their homes.
“I am constantly monitoring the situation in the city and the region. Now there is more work because of the evacuation. We have to plan and find out how many people will be evacuated on a given day, so I ask the local authorities, coordinate the kitchen, order food, and we deliver it to the location.”
The experience of the teams from other regions is invaluable and I can use it when something unpredictable happens in Sumy.
Kseniia
WCK’s Sumy Emergency Coordinator
As always, WCK is working within the local population to feed the local population. Valentyna is one of the Sumy residents helping us get meals to people in need. “I have been a volunteer here since March 8, 2023.” She echoes the words of Anton and Kseniia. “We are a transit hub. There are many seniors and many families with children. People arrive hungry because they have been at the border for a long time, traveling for a long time. They really appreciate the food from WCK, especially because it is hot.”
To date, WCK has provided more than 6 million meals in the Sumy Oblast since the start of the war.
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