ChefsForUkraine Update 🇺🇦 José & WCK team report

 

#ChefsForUkraine Update: 5 Countries & Hundreds of Thousands of Meals Since Russia’s attack began on Ukraine just over a week ago, more than 1.3 million people have fled the country—primarily women, children, and seniors—and are now seeking refuge in neighboring nations, with most crossing into Poland. The journey out is arduous, with families facing long wait times at the border. Those remaining in Ukraine are fleeing west to the city of Lviv where WCK's Nate Mook has been reporting from, or sheltering in underground bomb shelters as cities like Kharkiv and Kherson are bombarded. WCK immediately started distributing hot meals at a border crossing in Poland as families arrived. Now, our team is delivering meals to hundreds of locations in Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, and even in Ukraine with the help of dozens of partner restaurants—and the work doesn’t stop here. We are preparing for this to be one of our largest relief efforts to date, and we will continue to adapt as we scale up to serve more meals to families in need each day.   SUPPORT OUR UKRAINE EFFORTS As we scale up our Ukraine relief efforts, WCK teams are now serving over 60,000 meals each day across 5 countries. While WCK began our efforts in Poland, we quickly worked to start supporting Ukrainians inside the country cooking for others in need. We’ve built up our network of restaurant partners to eight cities, including the capital Kyiv where multiple kitchens are delivering to shelters, hospitals, and medical teams. In Kharkiv, which has been devastated by missile attacks, we have six kitchens active. Despite being under constant bombardment and often without light, heroes like Chef Anastasiya Krutakova and her team in Kharkiv continue to cook for families—and even bake fresh bread! In the western city of Lviv, families from all over the country are arriving by train, bus, and car as a stop on their journeys out of Ukraine—or finding accommodation to remain here. While serving dinner at the railway station last night, we met Natalia and her daughter Miraslava. They had just arrived from Zaporizhzhia, where Russian forces attacked the nuclear power plant. Miraslava is just five years old and was able to enjoy her first hot meal in days. In addition to providing hot meals, we're sending dry goods and cooking equipment to partners across Lviv, and setting up a food depot in the city. WCK has established a humanitarian corridor from Poland and we are now bringing food and other supplies across daily. In Poland, WCK teams are providing comforting meals at all eight of the border crossings. Poland is receiving a majority of the refugees, with the UN reporting that more than 700,000 Ukrainians have entered the country since last week—and it’s expected that millions more will follow. Working with restaurant, food truck, and catering partners, WCK has set up meal services 24 hours a day in many locations as families arrive from morning through the night. One dish we served was Żurek, a traditional Polish soup made with white sausage, smoked meat, and sour fermented rye flour. Temperatures are cold, so we're focusing on serving hot, comforting meals to anyone in need. We’ve also now established our own central relief kitchen, giving the WCK team the capability to cook thousands more daily meals for people in need.  When the crisis began and Ukrainian families first started fleeing the country, people from all around Poland immediately headed to the border to help in whatever ways they could. Helena is from Lviv, but has been living in Poland for the past five years studying international relations. Her immediate family also lives outside Ukraine, but as the war broke out, Helena’s brother went back to join the army. She told us, “My heart cries constantly these days, and it’s hard to sleep. For me, it’s a relief to work here and keep busy. The customers light up when they receive the food with a blessing in their own language." To the south of Ukraine, WCK’s team in Romania is operating in multiple cities at border crossings and shelters housing evacuated families. At the main train station in Suceava, our team met little Evelina. Evelina’s mother first heard bombings at 6am—she took both Evelina and her own mother into the basement of their apartment building, but there wasn't enough space for them to stay there. They were able to find shelter at a local hospital, where they stayed safely in the basement for two days. The family then fled for the Romanian border, a trip that took several days. Evelina's mother said she tried to avoid listening to the radio or any news from the attacks. Once safe in Romania, Evelina had her first hot meal since the journey began – fresh spinach pasta with a creamy sauce prepared by WCK partner Bazzil. The first thing Svetlana and her daughter Eva did after they crossed the Romanian border in Siret was to ask for a warm place to rest, hot tea, and soup. WCK volunteers were there and able to provide them with fresh meals. After more than two days without much rest, Eva was able to fall asleep. In addition to meals being served in Ukraine, Poland, and Romania, WCK teams are working in Moldova and Hungary. In Moldova, meals are being served in four cities, including at the Chișinău Airport where our local restaurant partner is making dishes like baked chicken over pasta with a tomato salad and freshly baked bread. In Hungary, we are at two border crossing points providing hot meals to people as they arrive. Our efforts to help the people of Ukraine wouldn't be possible without all the incredible support we've received – thank you! The WCK team will be continually identifying new needs for fresh meals and adapting as the situation evolves. Please follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to keep up with the latest. Donate here to help us expand the support we are able to provide in this incredible time of need.  Alexandra wakes up every day at 5am to help run her family-owned restaurant, La Brasserie – a WCK partner cooking hundreds of daily meals for people arriving in Romania. “Imagine being in line, at the border, for 30 hours with no proper clothes, no heating, eating only cold, dry food. It’s very important that we give people warm, tasty, fresh meals the minute they arrive. I’m crying every time I hand out a warm soup to someone and I see such joy on their face. That’s when I know that the work we do is important.”