As Russia’s relentless attacks on energy and water systems continue, countless Ukrainians are facing the first full winter of the war. With the coldest, darkest days here, WCK is making necessary arrangements to meet rising food needs throughout the country, including in frontline and recently liberated regions.

WCK supporting Ukrainians through harsh winter

World Central Kitchen teams across Ukraine brace for winter #ChefsForUkraine

Across Ukraine, WCK is bringing hundreds of thousands of daily meals and pounds of food to over 8,000 distribution sites. Watch the video to see the people who make it happen every day—these are the Food Fighters!

Over 200 million meals served across eight countries

WCK #ChefsForUkraine l Food Fighters

On November 11, after eight long months of occupation, the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson was liberated. Having arrived as soon as we were permitted to enter, WCK local teams were greeted with hugs and tears of joy while delivering food kits. Several days later, José arrived in Ukraine, keeping his promise of returning to Kherson once it was liberated.

Jose reports on WCK's efforts in Kherson

Working with restaurants across Ukraine, WCK provided hot, fresh meals to families sheltering, seniors unable to leave & more. From Kyiv, we sent critical grocery kits to previously occupied areas left without access to food.

Kyiv

Kramatorsk, Ukraine is the end of the railway before occupied territory. And despite a missile strike that murdered 59 civilians, WCK local lead Katya did not leave. Her mission: to make sure nobody goes hungry, as the city prepared for invasion. 

Kramatorsk

We are delivering tens of thousands of meals daily in Kharkiv and the surrounding region to bomb shelters, hospitals, churches, seniors, and people trapped on the front lines.

Kharkiv

Lviv served as the humanitarian hub for Ukraine and hosted over 200,000 evacuees. WCK supported 75 shelters housing families who fled their homes.

Lviv

At the peak of our response, our team included more than 4,500 people—chefs, drivers, warehouse managers, and logistics experts.

WCK #ChefsForUkraine l Kate

WCK #ChefsForUkraine l Ihor

WCK #ChefsForUkraine l Odesa

WCK #ChefsForUkraine | Olena

Shatabdi traveled with her cat Crimsee into Poland, walking for 37 miles before waiting in a 12-hour line to cross the border, all with no food or water. She found a wheelchair to sit in and ate her first meal from WCK since embarking on her journey.

Shatabdi

“Right before this I was shopping for my prom dress; it’s my final year of school & life was good, life felt normal.”

Alioa, 17, fled Mykolaiv with her 3 siblings & mother. Her father stayed behind. 

“I don’t know what will happen… to him, to us—to Ukraine.”

Alioa

Sasha, a single parent, who is physically impaired raised Oleg since he was two years old. With the help of his brother, all three traveled by bus and foot to Iasi, Romania. In Odesa, Sasha worked as a chef’s helper—now he’s volunteering at the kitchen shelter where he is temporarily staying. 

“We’ll do anything to give back the help we have receiveed. For my son, to receive shelter, a warm meal, and a kind word after so many days alone, on the road, with our backs broken and our bellies empty, it’s just a blessing that we need to pay forward.”

Sasha

Stories from the ground

“We stayed for three weeks in Kyiv during the war. We kept thinking 'Maybe it will end tomorrow' and tomorrow never came. I decided to go once they began to dig military trenches a block away from my home. I couldn’t be caught in crossfire, so I grabbed my neighbor [Tamara] and we came here.”

Olga and Tamara stop to share a meal at the Tesco shelter in Przemyśl. 

“Hot food! Very important, for health and spirits. Usually we’re eating homemade, hot foods in Ukraine. During our recent travels, we have eaten many sandwiches. But this hot soup, feels like home.” 

#ChefsForUkraine: Visual Stories

Scenes from the ground

More about our efforts

News stories from the ground

On February 24, Russia launched a large-scale military operation on neighboring Ukraine, invading the country on several fronts. Since then, millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes, finding refuge within the country or leaving for other countries altogether. As families travel for days, and live under ongoing threats and occupation, many are going days without food. The prolonged war has also disrupted activity at Ukraine’s ports and borders straining the local food supply.

Working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals within hours of the initial invasion, and we quickly grew our response mobilizing teams of cooks in Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, and Germany. With more people returning to Ukraine, WCK is focusing our efforts to provide hundreds of thousands of fresh meals and tens of thousands of food kits each day. We’re reaching hundreds of cities including areas under fire, recently liberated towns, and communities hosting refugees.

As the situation keeps evolving, WCK will continue to help in the best way we know how, with a freshly prepared plate of food.

In the early months of the invasion, WCK served millions of fresh meals to Ukrainian families fleeing home as well as people remaining in the country. Now, we are supporting frontline communities in eastern and southern Ukraine where the need for food is urgent.