Themes by tag: food

Markiian Krasno joined the Ukrainian army a year before russia’s full-scale invasion, a decision that would place him on the front lines from the earliest days of the war. On February 24, 2022, he and his unit defended the Kyiv region before rotating to positions along the border, where russian forces were pressing forward.

Away from combat, Krasno found an unexpected way to support his fellow soldiers – through food. In rare moments of downtime, he began cooking for his unit. When circumstances allow, he marks his comrades’ birthdays by baking cakes or roasting meat, turning makeshift kitchens into small spaces of normalcy amid the war.

In 2024, Krasno recorded and shared his first cooking video on social media. To his surprise, it quickly went viral, prompting him to continue documenting his culinary work from the front lines. He now runs a food-focused blog and is looking ahead to new ambitions, including launching a cooking show and publishing his own recipe book.

Interviews with Markiian Krasno can be arranged online or in person by prior agreement.

• food
• military

This holiday season, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is introducing Kutia kits in Ukraine — seasonal food kits inspired by one of the most significant Christmas traditions in the country.

Kutia, a traditional dish made from wheat, is prepared on Christmas Eve and holds deep cultural significance for Ukrainians. For families living under conditions of war, displacement, and loss, the ability to prepare this familiar holiday dish helps them maintain a sense of continuity, dignity, and unity during difficult times.

Each Kutia kit contains the non-perishable ingredients needed to prepare the dish at home, including wheat, poppy seeds, dried fruits, walnuts, and honey, as well as a simple recipe.

As part of the pilot project, WCK will distribute 20,000 Kutia kits to families in frontline and near-frontline communities across eight Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Chernihiv oblasts.

Media are invited to cover the distribution of Kutia kits in the Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv regions, pending security assessments. Interviews with the leadership of the World Central Kitchen mission in Ukraine are available in person (in Lviv or Kyiv) or online. WCK can also provide photo and video b-roll from distribution sites upon request.

Background: World Central Kitchen began providing food aid in Ukraine immediately after the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Since then, the organization has continuously adapted its work, combining emergency food provision with innovative long-term food access projects. To date, WCK has provided over 292 million meals across the country.

• culture
• food
• volunteers

Yuliia Stefaniuk is the head of the International Charity Organization World Central Kitchen’s mission in Ukraine and one of the women who, from the very first days of the full-scale invasion, joined organizing humanitarian aid in the country.

Before the full-scale war, she lived in Lviv and for over eleven years worked as the managing partner of !FEST Catering and Just Lviv It! — partner projects of the !FEST Holding of Emotions. Yuliia graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv with a degree in sociology and worked in the insurance business in Kyiv for some time.

When the invasion began, Yuliia was among the first to join World Central Kitchen in Lviv. In March 2022, she organized the first large-scale hot meal production for refugees arriving in Lviv and played an active role in creating the logistical and organizational processes that enabled WCK to rapidly scale up and operate across Ukraine, including frontline communities. To date, World Central Kitchen has provided over 290 million meals as part of its mission in Ukraine. Currently, the organization provides hot meals, distributes food and vegetable kits, supports evacuation centers, delivers water and bread to communities on the front lines, and implements long-term programs to restore local food security, particularly by helping families grow their own food and opening kitchens for internally displaced persons.

Over the course of two years during the war, Yuliia served as the executive director of the Ukraine Foundation, which was established with the support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. She is also a co-founder of the Hachiko Pet Foundation in the United States, which supports frontline animal shelters by providing food, medical assistance, and sterilization services, as well as facilitating adoptions.

Currently, Yuliia coordinates one of the country’s largest hot meal programs, created in response to the full-scale invasion. She works tirelessly to ensure that citizens have stable and easy access to humanitarian aid, even under the most difficult conditions.

Yuliia is a mother of two children and the rescuer of a cat she adopted from the de-occupied city of Izium.

By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to speak with Yuliia in person in Lviv or online.

• casualties
• food
• volunteers
• women
• Lviv

Before the war, Bohdan’s company in Poltava produced ice cream and frozen foods, such as traditional Ukrainian varenyky (dumplings) and syrnyky (cheese pancakes). He had never cooked hot meals or worked in public catering. That all changed in February 2022, when families fleeing the war began arriving in Poltava. Bohdan posted a simple message on social media: “We know how to cook. If anyone needs help, we are ready.”

His company began cooking hot meals with leftover frozen ingredients and distributing them to those in need. Soon, Bohdan had to sell freezers and a delivery van to pay for ingredients and continue feeding people escaping the war. “I was a few days away from shutting down,” he says. “We had no money left, but people still had to eat.” It was then that he learned about World Central Kitchen (WCK).

With their support, Bohdan was able to cook up to 5,000 hot lunches a day and develop a delivery system. His team delivered food to schools, dormitories, and shelters across Poltava. Since 2022, they have prepared over 427,000 meals in partnership with WCK.

What began as emergency food relief has since evolved into Poltavski Pundyky, a food company built on the values WCK tapped into — dignity, care, speed, and community. Today, his team runs five dining spaces across the city. They also still deliver hundreds of free meals daily to those affected by the war. Many employees are internally displaced persons who first came to Poltava after russia’s full-scale invasion. Bohdan’s business is a key emergency partner for WCK and is ready to cook hot meals in the aftermath of missile strikes or other emergencies.

Journalists can speak with Bohdan in Poltava or online, by prior arrangement. Representatives of World Central Kitchen are also available for communication.

• food
• volunteers
• Poltava

Starting this month, the international relief group World Central Kitchen (WCK) is rolling out an updated food kit that, for the first time, includes a package designed specifically for children.

With families across Ukraine struggling to secure basic nutrition during the war, the new kits are meant to help children get the protein, vitamins, and minerals essential for growth, learning, and immune health.

The children’s package is added to WCK’s standard food kit and serves as a nutritional supplement. It includes ready-to-eat foods suitable for children ages 1 to 15, among them canned turkey, iron-rich bars, fruit purees, nut mixes, and cocoa with milk.

WCK says it plans to deliver thousands of the updated kits this month to communities across the Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Sumy regions.

The organization says it welcomes collaboration with media outlets, offering photo and video materials, access to distribution sites, and interviews with its staff to highlight the new initiative.

For reference: Since the start of russia’s full-scale military aggression, World Central Kitchen has been operating in every frontline region of Ukraine, responding during evacuations, supporting civilians after strikes on infrastructure, and working alongside the State Emergency Service. To date, the group has provided nearly 290 million meals, including more than 70 million hot meals and 10 million food kits. It has also supplied vegetable packages, seeds, clean water, and launched projects aimed at helping families become more self-sufficient.

• food
• volunteers

Vitalii Nuzhnyi, a Kharkiv native, once pursued a career as a professional wrestler before discovering his passion for cooking. He rose through the ranks from kitchen assistant to chef, gaining recognition after competing in the popular culinary show MasterChef Ukraine. He later entered the national qualifier for the prestigious Bocuse d’Or World Championship, where he earned a bronze medal.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Nuzhnyi evacuated his family abroad and returned to Kharkiv to volunteer at a military hospital. Shortly afterward, he was mobilized and took up the role of cook with the 429th Achilles Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems. He believes soldiers’ morale and motivation are closely tied to the quality of their meals.

Today, Nuzhnyi is building a large-scale kitchen to meet the growing demand for food deliveries to the front line.

Interviews with Vitalii Nuzhnyi can be arranged in advance, either online or in person in the Kharkiv region, with approval from the unit’s press officer.

• food
• military
• Kharkiv

The NGO Every Animal, in partnership with nutritionist Mark Shpara, Macro-2019, and Eat Me At, developed seven daily plant-based meal plans for military personnel. The goal is to provide vegan and vegetarian soldiers, as well as those who fast or avoid animal products for health reasons, with plant-based food.

Defenders can order a free “vegan ration pack”, which includes 26 ready-to-eat meals in retort packaging (soups and porridges with soy meat and Eat Me At plant-based mince).

The rations are sent to military personnel via mail.

Journalists can learn more about vegan rations for defenders in Kyiv. 

Background: The NGO Every Animal was founded in 2019 to promote veganism and advocate for animal rights. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the organization has provided over 2,700 weekly vegan rations to the military free of charge. They have also organized ten charity Vegan Weekend festivals, raising and donating UAH 4.5 million to support the Defense Forces.

• food
• military
• Kyiv

This weekend and into next week, WCK will begin distributing children fruit kits in celebration of the holiday, which is observed annually on June 1. A total of 8,300 kits will be delivered across Ukraine, from Lviv to Donetsk oblast.

Each kit includes apples, pears, oranges, grapefruits, kiwis, and a colorful, WCK-branded cup — a meaningful gift to remind children that they are remembered and cared for, even in times of hardship.

The kits will be distributed in the Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

Distributions will run for a week, starting May 30.

Journalists can cover the initiative by prior arrangement. Open deliveries will allow for photo and video coverage, as well as interviews with WCK teams and recipients. WCK will also provide high-quality photo and video materials for media use.

• children
• food

Yevhen is originally from Mariupol. He began serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2014 when russia first attacked Ukraine. He was carrying out combat missions near the village of Pisky in Donetsk oblast when the full-scale invasion began. At that time, Yevhen’s family was still in Mariupol. They only managed to escape russian encirclement in mid-April 2022.

The idea to start his own business came to Yevhen before the full-scale war began. However, he only began to implement it after his family found safety in the Kyiv oblast. Together with his sister and her husband, Yevhen applied for a grant from the Ukrainian Veteran Fund and received financial support to open a café.

Their family-run burger café, “Domakha,” now welcomes guests in Hostomel, Kyiv oblast. The name “Domakha” refers to an old term for the region where Mariupol, now temporarily occupied, is located. Yevhen envisions the café as more than just a place to enjoy good food; he also wants it to be a hub where veterans can gather, host charity events, and hold workshops.

Yevhen is currently in the Chernihiv oblast. You can communicate with him online or offline by prior arrangement.

• culture
• food
• military
• Chernihiv

This week, the international humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) launched a new initiative aimed at supporting families in frontline regions of Ukraine: the Chicken Kit project.

As part of the program, families receive 10 vaccinated laying hens along with high-quality poultry feed, offering a simple yet effective solution to ensure access to food where supply remains limited.

The first deliveries have already reached residents in Donetsk Oblast. In the coming weeks, WCK plans to extend support to frontline communities in the Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Khmelnytskyi, and Sumy regions.

Journalists may cover the project by prior arrangement. Upcoming deliveries will be open to photo and video coverage, including opportunities for interviews with WCK team members and participants. In addition, WCK is working with professional photo and video crews and will provide access to all visual materials.

For reference: World Central Kitchen is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides meals to people affected by natural disasters and other crises. Founded in 2010 by renowned chef José Andrés, the organization began its work by preparing food in Haiti following the devastating earthquake.

• casualties
• food