A food truck continues its humanitarian mission "Food Without Borders", its team is currently working in the Kharkiv region and feeds thousands of residents of frontline settlements, rescuers, military and doctors every day.

The mobile kitchen started its journey in Poltava. It was forced, because when the cooks were on their way to the first point on the route in Izyum, russia shelled Poltava, and the city needed to organize meals for rescuers and volunteers who were clearing the rubble, medics who were helping the injured, and affected civilians. Then the food truck went to Izyum, followed by Derhachi, Tsupivka, Slatyne in the Kharkiv region…

"We have long dreamed of working in this format. And this dream was driven by the experience we had organizing the "All-Ukrainian Humanitarian Kitchen" in Kherson region. We realized that the need for food is enormous and it is everywhere. We thought that it would be great to be able to move to the places of acute need for prompt food supply in response to the challenges and threats of war. That’s how the idea of the food truck was born, bringing together partners from different fields and different regions who jointly helped launch this project", says Oleh Bibikov, the food truck’s chef and co-founder of the NGO "Iskra Dobra".

During the first month of operation, the mobile kitchen team prepared 67,186 portions of hot meals, which were distributed to residents of frontline settlements, delivered to hospitals, and handed over to emergency services, volunteers and military personnel during the shelling response.

"We also distributed more than 3,000 chocolates to children and the elderly. In general, we used our mobility to the fullest, delivering humanitarian aid on the ground to those who needed it. We got into this project quickly – we left Kyiv at night and started working in the morning. The workload was and still is enormous. In fact, the demand was higher than expected, and fatigue became our constant companion. But at the same time, we received very heartwarming feedback – people needed this help and were ready to help. We always need extra hands, and we find them in the places where we work. It’s a cool symbiosis, and as our partners from the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya say, together we can do more!", adds Oleh Bibikov.

On the morning of March 6, russians attacked the village of Slatyne in the Derhachi City Community with guided aerial bombs. Unfortunately, there were casualties and injuries, and residential buildings were damaged. On the same day, the "Food Without Borders" project team formed a shipment with 400 portions of hot meals and delivered it to the settlement. Such operational reports, among other things, form our picture of the reality in which the country and millions of its inhabitants are living now.

We have already mentioned that the Charitable Organization "Charity Fund "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya", with the support of partners from the NGO "Iskra Dobra", provided the mobile kitchen with a powerful generator, which was donated to Ukraine by partners from the Association SAFE (France). Subsequently, the Committee helped to equip the food truck with a charging station and partially financed the purchase of food during the project launch. Now, the organization’s French partners are looking for a car to accompany and provide logistical support for the "kitchen on wheels", but we will talk about this later.