Open-air kitchen to support Ukrainians fleeing the war
Published: May 30, 2022 Reading time: 2 minutes
Zaporizhzhya has become a temporary home for many people taking the evacuation route through this city. Between 500 and 2,500 people visit the humanitarian hub every day. Here they receive aid from the government and humanitarian organisations. Many of the people dependent on the hub are women and children, older people, and people with disabilities. None of these people knows if they’ll be able to go home and see their neighbours.
To support those who are arriving, People in Need provides hot meals in an open-air kitchen through its local partner organisation “Smile”. The kitchen is supported by about ten volunteers every day. Each volunteer is responsible for their own process. Their work helps feed about 2,000 people per day and enables us to treat each child with something sweet after their main course.
"We’ve seen people come here very tired, and at a minimum, they should have access to fresh food. With the space of the open-air kitchen, people can get a hot meal and drink coffee or tea with sweets. The space has also become a focal point of support from businesses, and there is fruitful cooperation with local public organisations. Almost from its first week of operation of the open-air kitchen, local food facilities transferred ready-made dishes, and entrepreneurs and volunteers brought quick-cooking products, supporting us with coffee, tea, cookies and sweets for children,” says Anna, a volunteer with the local NGO “Smile”.
Thanks to the generous support from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), our partners were able to purchase essential items. These include a tent, tables, thermos-pots, a generator and cans for fuel, and dishes and quick-cooking products.
