Why WCK? As part of our 2020 Book Club, we read José Andrés’s We Fed an Island and decided to support his efforts feeding people who are in dire situations.

On February 24, 2022, 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.

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

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

On April 1, 2024, Israel killed seven WCK aid workers in Gaza. An Israel Defense Forces drone fired three missiles on their convoy, though the cars’ roofs were clearly marked. These seven people were killed because they were trying to keep Palestinians from starving to death – even more reason to support WCK.