100 Million Meals Served though #ChefsForUkraine

 

100 Million Meals Served: A Message from José  We are just several days away from it being five months since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, displacing millions of people, claiming tens of thousands of lives, and destroying thousands of buildings and entire communities. But these numbers only partially convey what the Ukrainian people have had to endure. Refugees fleeing—primarily women, children, and seniors—have embarked on long and arduous journeys, waiting up to 72 hours before crossing the border to safety. People remaining in Ukraine are living through the trauma of constant shelling and the threat of uncertainty as more and more residential areas are targeted seemingly at random.  As the situation has unfolded, the war in Ukraine has also become a war on food. Activity at ports and borders has been disrupted, straining the food supply that feeds not only Ukraine, but the world. Since activating five months ago, WCK food cargo trains, and restaurant and farm partners, have been hit by missiles. Still, every single day thousands of WCK's Ukrainian Food Fighters show up to provide nourishing meals and food aid to families remaining in the country. Today, our incredible teams served their 100 millionth meal in response to invasion. Follow the growth of WCK distribution points across Ukraine.  Since the first cold night in February when WCK began serving soup to families fleeing the attack at a border crossing in Poland, we've delivered 100 million meals in eight countries, at more than 6,000 different distribution points, including in over 1,000 cities and towns inside Ukraine. Today, our teams inside Ukraine continue to expand efforts reaching families under constant attack in eastern cities while still caring for refugees who have fled west. Between the preparation of hot, fresh meals and large grocery kits with ingredients for families to cook with at home, we are serving more than 1.7 million meals every single day—this scale of an emergency response is beyond what World Central Kitchen has ever seen before, and we will keep cooking.    HELP US CONTINUE SUPPORTING UKRAINE With the situation in many eastern cities intensifying and needs outside Ukraine subsiding, we’re scaling down our efforts in neighboring countries to focus on ramping up our response for the most vulnerable families. Working with the thousands of WCK team members across Ukraine, we will continue to reach as many people in need of hot meals and grocery kits as we can.  WCK envisions—and continues to hope for—a world where we would not have to respond to senseless violence under these circumstances, but we are beyond grateful to stand alongside more than 4,300 brave Food Fighters who work tirelessly to ensure anyone in need is met with a hot meal. It is because of all the WCK team members, volunteers, and global community of supporters that our efforts in Ukraine and in seven neighboring countries have been made possible—thank you. Read more about how we built the largest humanitarian food relief effort in Ukraine.  Nearly 100,000 Meals Served in Afghanistan WCK’s Relief Team is serving thousands of meals every day—along with water and baby formula—to communities in eastern Afghanistan impacted by the June 22 earthquake which killed more than 1,000 people. Three weeks since the earthquake—the strongest in two decades—we are still the only organization delivering freshly prepared, daily meals. Floods caused by heavy rains in Paktika have made remote villages harder to access. However, WCK’s local team has continued cooking and utilizing 4x4 vehicles to ensure communities maintain access to hot, nourishing meals. Damage to infrastructure caused by the earthquake means clean water remains scarce. In response, we have delivered over 167,000 liters of water for drinking and medical use. Despite the heavy toll of the earthquake, families came together to celebrate Eid al-Adha, one of the most holy festivals in the Muslim calendar. To help mark the event, each of WCK's kitchens prepared thousands of extra meals, including Afghanistan’s national dish, Kabuli palaw—composed of meat with rice, raisins, and carrots. Each kitchen also prepared dal chalaw (lentil curry), lobia (red kidney bean curry stew with fresh herbs and tomato), along with rice, naan, and fruit.   HELP US SERVE MORE MEALS IN AFGHANISTAN Severe Flooding in Bangladesh and India In late May, extreme rain caused devastating floods in the Sylhet and Sunamganj regions of Bangladesh. WCK activated quickly to provide hot meals and grocery kits to nearly 14,000 households. With the support of local partners, our Chef Relief Team delivered more than 1.65 million meals from late May to early July. Severe flooding also impacted the Assam state of India in late June, and more than one million people are still affected as some villages remain under water. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, a member of WCK’s Chef Corps who has led previous efforts in India, mobilized his team while we have also partnered with a new restaurant team in Silchar. As the region enters the height of monsoon season, our Relief Team continues to monitor conditions while hoping the flood waters recede. For the latest on WCK's work around the world, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook or read more at WCK.org. You can fuel our emergency relief efforts here.