Kim Golden

When the Russian strike hit, Svitlana’s first thought was of her cat, home alone in their Chernihiv apartment. She hurried home from work and found him inside, frightened but thankfully unhurt. Almost all her windows were shattered, and shrapnel left marks across the walls. Svitlana was one of many Chernihiv residents WCK supported after this attack, providing hot meals and drinks to affected residents as they recover. #ChefsForUkraine

Each meal begins with a seed. WCK's Mirna walked us through every step our ingredients take before they become a meal for Lebanese families without consistent access to food. Today, we're harvesting and cooking the ingredients for rice with pea stew and fresh lettuce and tomato salad, made with vegetables from the fields surrounding our Zahlé kitchen. Our Lebanese team members care for the vegetables from sowing to cooking, sharing compassion and love at each point in the process. #ChefsForMidEast

Nour (left) and Anwar are united through friendship and their work as part of WCK’s #ChefsForGaza team, but they are also united through grief. Both of them have lost their husbands and now are supporting their children on their own. They show up at the kitchen every day, standing side by side to prepare meals for families that have also experienced loss. Their work with WCK not only helps provide stability for Nour, Anwar, and their families, but also gives the women a much-needed support system as they try and rebuild their lives.

Rain and dropping temperatures have arrived in Gaza. For families living in tents, winter makes an already difficult situation harder: soaked bedding, flooded ground, and no safe way to cook. Across our network of Palestinian-led kitchens, WCK teams are cooking through it, working to make sure the most vulnerable families can count on a hot meal. #ChefsForGaza

We asked our teams at WCK and HAS Haiti what their work has meant for their communities. Here’s what they told us. #ChefsForHaiti

WCK's #ChefsForMidEast teams were forced to leave our kitchen in Marwanieh, Lebanon after increased strikes made it unsafe for us to stay. Today, as the situation has become safer, our teams have returned to Marwanieh and are once again serving families in the region. Hear from our teammates about the importance of showing up for these communities.

Meet some of the people behind the meals WCK and HAS Haiti serve in Haiti. For our team members, joining WCK wasn’t just about a job—it was a chance to serve their community, support their families, and be part of something bigger. We asked our Haiti team what drives them. This is what they told us. #ChefsForHaiti

Yesterday, a Russian strike destroyed an underground community hub in Komyshuvakha where families gathered to seek shelter and receive humanitarian aid, including deliveries from WCK. At least 33 people were killed, and more than 50 people are still beneath the rubble. First responders were on the scene immediately, and WCK teams arrived soon after with hot meals to fuel their search and rescue efforts. We’re standing with the people of Komyshuvakha in the aftermath of this attack, and we’re already working to adapt our efforts to make sure our distribution of bread, food kits, and water in this community isn’t interrupted. #ChefsForUkraine

In the aftermath of a Russian attack, residents of Kyiv’s Kubanska Ukrainy Street were left without power. As temperatures drop and winter settles in, our team is distributing cooking kits with portable gas stoves and extra gas canisters to community members. These kits give residents a way to prepare their own meals and choose what to cook—a crucial step in recovery and comfort. #ChefsForUkraine

(1/2) After Abu Tamer’s home in northern Gaza was destroyed, he recovered all of the books he could from the rubble and started Athar Library. The library is now a space for anyone to come and read, and Abu Tamer also shares the meals he receives from WCK with visitors. However, all of the books are vulnerable to sunlight, rain, and humidity, especially as winter approaches. (1/2)

In Spain after the DANA floods. In Gaza. In Haiti. In Colombia. Wherever WCK responds, local restaurants and chefs are already there. They give us something no logistics plan can replicate: deep roots, trusted relationships, and knowledge of exactly where help is needed. That network means that when an emergency strikes, we move faster and serve the first meal sooner. That’s the power of local. And it’s what makes WCK’s response work everywhere we go. #ChefsForTheWorld En España, tras las inundaciones de la DANA. En Gaza. En Haití. En Colombia. Dondequiera que responda WCK, los restaurantes y los chefs locales ya están sobre el terreno. Nos aportan algo que ningún plan logístico puede replicar: raíces profundas, relaciones de confianza y el conocimiento exacto de dónde hace falta la ayuda. Gracias a esa red, cuando llega una emergencia nos movemos más rápido y servimos la primera comida antes. Ese es el poder de lo local. Y es lo que hace que la respuesta de WCK funcione en cada lugar al que llegamos. #ChefsForTheWorld

In Lebanon, many families participate in the making of mouneh, or preserving seasonal produce, in the fall. Join our #ChefsForMidEast team as they cook makdous, a dish of pickled eggplants stuffed with vegetables, to serve to families currently living without access to consistent meals. Even during times like these, WCK's teams are working around the clock to provide a taste of comfort to impacted community members.