WCK’s team in Ukraine constantly adapts to meet the needs of impacted families. With the support of a dedicated team of more than 500 Ukrainians, we are reaching cities in active conflict zones, recently liberated towns, and communities hosting displaced families. We’re providing hot meals, fresh bread, potable water, food kits, traditional vegetables, and cooking facilities across Ukraine. Our dedication now, remains as steadfast as it was the day we served our first hot meals to evacuees.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military operation against Ukraine, triggering mass displacement and exposing civilians to relentless attacks. Millions of Ukrainians sought refuge within the country and abroad, facing immense challenges—including ongoing missile strikes, disrupted supply chains, and widespread food insecurity.
World Central Kitchen responded immediately, setting up at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland to serve hot meals. Our efforts quickly expanded across Europe and into Ukraine, where we now deliver millions of meals directly to communities in need.
WCK’s impact to date
Meals Served
gallons
of water provided
Food & Vegetable Kits
Distributed
Emergency Responses
at sites of attacks
Seed Kits
Distributed
3 years of #ChefsForUkraine
In the third year of our Ukraine efforts, we are meeting the most pressing needs of families caught between the fighting in frontline communities. At the same time, our Emergency Response Team is working tirelessly to be at the sites of missile and drone attacks wherever they may happen, supporting impacted families and first responders.
2023 in Ukraine
2022 in Ukraine
Meet Yuliya, WCK’s Ukraine Response Director
Yuliya has been with WCK since the start of the war, first working to coordinate meal production in Lviv and later, expanding operations across the country. Now, she is stepping into a leadership role with a focus on collaboration and strategic response planning.
Providing hope, one meal at a time
Every day, our teams prepare and deliver thousands of hot, nourishing meals to families living in areas under fire. These meals are often the only source of sustenance for people who have lost access to basic resources due to ongoing fighting. Explore the many ways our team supports Ukrainians need.
Emergency Response
Our Emergency Response Team serves meals to families in frontline communities, responding to missile and drone attacks within hours. We support residents and first responders wherever they need us.
Evacuation Support
Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced. WCK provides hot meals, food kits, and long-term support to help families rebuild their lives.
Food & Vegetable Kits
Designed to sustain families for weeks, WCK food kits contain essential staples—grains, canned goods, and cooking supplies. Since 2022, we’ve delivered over 10 million kits, the equivalent of 206 million meals.
Seeds of Hope
Access to seeds has become a challenge for many Ukrainians due to the conflict. Our Seeds of Hope program provides essential seeds to families and communities, empowering them to grow their own food and support long-term resilience.
Spreading Joy
During key holidays like Easter or Christmas, WCK ensures families can celebrate with traditional meals, bringing warmth and a sense of normalcy during difficult times.
The Chicken Kit Project
WCK’s Chicken Kit Project provides families in frontline and rural Ukrainian communities with live hens, feed, and care guidance to support long-term food security and self-reliance.
Community Kitchens
WCK’s Community Kitchen project supports shelters for people displaced from frontline areas by providing equipment, supplies, and training to help communities prepare their own meals and strengthen self-reliance.
Local Partnerships
We partner with local restaurants and kitchens across Ukraine, empowering them to prepare meals for their own communities. This not only supports local economies but also helps sustain families in need.
How One Ukrainian Lost Everything—and Brought His Bakery Back
When Yevhen fled his home, he left behind everything—including his bakery. In Zaporizhzhia, he started over, helping fellow displaced families with support from WCK. Now, his bakery is back, preparing bread and sweets for frontline communities.
Bohdan’s Kitchen Community: From Surviving to Serving
Bohdan had never prepared hot meals, never worked in food service, and never imagined he would one day be serving thousands of hot meals a day to neighbors displaced by war. That changed in February 2022.
Halyna
“It’s painful… But we are thankful to the volunteers who support us with food and vegetables.” Halyna from Bilohirka lost everything when war reached her southern Ukrainian village. She spent weeks sheltering in a cellar. Her home was destroyed. Now, she and her daughter live in a restored section. WCK provides food to meet their needs and bring comfort. #ChefsForUkraine
Oleksandr
“The WCK food is 10 out of 10, just like in the best restaurants. Today’s cutlet was very tasty. Last time, we had some delicious ribs. Everything is always great. This support is very important because as you can see behind, our house was severely damaged, we don’t have a proper house; we live in a modular home built on our land. It only has one room, bedroom, no kitchen, no toilet, just a place to sleep.”
Andriy
Andriy, 58 years old, is immensely grateful for the assistance, “I am very happy that we are getting food kits from WCK. We feel that someone cares about us. Because here you can’t earn money, you can’t buy food. My workplace was bombed.”
On the frontlines
Since our #ChefsForUkraine efforts began, our teams have supported families on the frontlines and in communities liberated from Russian occupation. With support from restaurant partners and our committed Ukraine team, we continued to provide meals and food kits for families living through unthinkable circumstances. Watch the videos below to see how our teams are reaching communities under constant threat of attack.
Donetsk
Life in Donetsk Oblast remains difficult as many residents have no gas, electricity, or water and live in constant fear of Russian missile attacks. WCK continues providing hot meals, food kits, and places to get warm for families in need.
Kherson
In the de-occupied Kherson region, communities are trying to adjust to life without reliable water, electricity, or gas. WCK provides grocery kits to families, ensuring they have access to food and a network of support.
More about our efforts
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“Each visit feels like a celebration for the whole village. It’s so joyful when we gather and chat. We really enjoy it. There are many children in the village, and they eagerly await your visits too. The seniors look forward to the food kits because of the cookies.” WCK began delivering monthly food kits to Novohryhorivske, Anna’s community in southern Ukraine, in 2022.
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WCK’s Emergency Response Team in Khmelnytskyi provided hundreds of hot meals, sandwiches, water, coffee, tea, and snacks to first responders battling a dangerous fire that took several hours to extinguish in western Ukraine. The fire was caused by a Russian strike on an industrial facility located in a residential area. Nearly 100 emergency personnel were called to the scene to control and the blaze—some sustaining burns that required hospitalization.
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The small village of Borova, now host to evacuees from other frontline areas in the Kharkiv region, has reopened to WCK deliveries after deadly Russian attacks there last month. To support the residents and evacuees currently in Borova, WCK delivered 1,400 food kits—providing enough food for people to make more than 30,000 meals.