Meet Svitlana and Inna—WCK Food Fighters in Kharkiv
Kharkiv—Ukraine’s second largest city—has been under constant attack since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Before the war, the city boasted a population of 2 million people. Now, being just 20 miles from the Russian border, thousands of families have been forced to flee toward western Ukraine in search of safety.
Just two weeks after the invasion began, Kharkiv was decreed a “Hero City of Ukraine” by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to celebrate the heroism displayed by its residents in the face of Russia’s relentless attacks. Svitlana and Inna—two WCK team members and Food Fighters—stand out among the countless heroes in the city that since those first days of the war have shown up to support their neighbors.
We sat down with both Kharkiv local coordinators—Svitlana oversees food kit distribution while Inna handles hot meals—to learn first-hand how they ensure food is delivered to communities in need. Read our conversation below.
Svitlana, WCK’s Kharkiv local food kit coordinator
When did you join the WCK team?
I started working with WCK in March 2022, when Kharkiv was under constant shelling. Representatives of WCK came to us and, despite the danger, worked side by side with us to establish systems to supply meals to families in need throughout the region.
From there, we established our warehouse and grew our team that included evacuees and people that had lost their homes and jobs—even under such hardship, they wanted to help. At first, the team consisted of 10 people, then 20, 50, 100 people. At its peak, this warehouse team included 200 people. Today we maintain a warehouse staff of 50 people.
How does the warehouse operate?
Our product supply chain is overseen by WCK team members in the US. They arrange orders, search for the best quality products, approve the contents of food kits depending on needs on the ground, and ensure products reach the Kharkiv warehouse safely. Then our warehouse team assembles the food kits, with managers communicating with communities to understand their needs. Then, we deliver the food kits with the help of our local team or by partnering with organizations throughout the Kharkiv region.
How do you identify partner organizations to help distribute meals?
We look for reliable partners who are already established and successful in the region. There are many locals in our team who can give recommendations on certain people, this is very helpful. In general, we believe that we and our partners are one big team and should act as one.
How do people react to our help?
People are always grateful for our assistance. Many of them were self-reliant and supported their families before the war, but today they have to ask for support and are very modest when receiving humanitarian aid. WCK food kits give people a sense of security and offer hope in such uncertain times.
What communities are we supporting today?
Kharkiv is a large city, and many people have nowhere else to go. Additionally, there have been huge problems with the supply chains and a lack of employment opportunities to support their families. Last fall, due to overwhelming need, we were distributing 150,000 food kits per week. Today, as food needs have changed, we provide 16,000-18,000 kits per week.
To ensure meals reach families that need them most, we account for family composition, access to utilities, the frequency of attacks in the region, ability to cook at home, and availability of aid from other organizations. We have a system in place to document the distribution of each package. This helps us ensure we don’t miss any family in need. Our focus is supporting communities along the frontline near the fighting and especially vulnerable people like seniors and children.
What do you like about working with WCK?
You understand what you are doing and you understand that you give people hope for a better life. Through our work, people know they are not alone. I feel that I am part of a great mission and I understand that I am not living in vain.
Inna, WCK’s Kharkiv local hot meal coordinator
When did you join the WCK team?
I used to be an event manager in Kharkiv. However, in February 2022 I moved to the city of Oleksandria as a refugee. There I met many other refugees that needed help. So I started looking for organizations that could bring us help. I found the contact information for WCK’s local lead in Dnipro and we started working together. First, I was a volunteer, and then a contractor in the Kirovohrad region. Later on my work focused on the Cherkasy region, and today, I work in the Kharkiv region.
How has our hot meal support changed in recent months?
In the summer of 2022 there was an overwhelming need for food throughout the entire region. To produce enough meals, we worked with 30 restaurant partners. Since then, as the war has progressed and food needs have shifted with many families again able to cook for themselves, we have gradually decreased the number of partners we work with. Today, we work with three partners in the Kharkiv region that allow us to provide nearly 3,000 hot, nourishing meals to frontline communities and families still unable to cook for themselves.
What are the top qualities you look for in restaurant partners?
First of all, partners need to have a professional kitchen and all possible equipment to consistently produce meals. Then, they must understand the urgency of our work—it is very important to me that the kitchen team remains willing to help 24/7.
How do people react when they receive hot meals?
There are locations where our interactions are particularly heartwarming. I especially like it when people engage with us and their community. For example, there is a group of refugees composed of senior women who weave textiles and make jewelry for charity auctions, and they have nothing but a desire to help.
What challenges do you face day-to-day?
A challenging aspect of my job today is gradually decreasing meal distribution in communities where immediate food needs are already being met. This requires psychological adjustment to do it very smoothly and stay in good relations with people we have supported for months but that no longer need us. We supported some of them for more than a year, and now we have to guide them toward independent living. This process is always emotionally challenging.
On a personal level, in the aftermath of a missile or rocket attack, it is emotionally difficult for me to be next to families at the place of the tragedy as they hope for rescue workers to find relatives and friends among the rubble of destroyed buildings.
What motivates you to keep supporting your fellow Ukrainians?
I am driven by the desire to support people so that we can celebrate peace in our country. I can imagine this day and look forward to it. I also want our children to enjoy their childhood in a peaceful country, and seniors to enjoy their retirement. And love is important to share. I am also motivated by the faces of the people we help and the opportunity to be useful.
Learn more about our #ChefsForUkraine response here. For real-time updates, follow WCK on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can support our work by making a donation here.
