Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, more than 2 million Ukrainians have fled the country. Many of our members have asked how they can help the people of Ukraine during these very scary times. 

Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen (WCK) has been feeding people suffering from humanitarian crises since a disastrous earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Since then, Andrés and his team have been serving those in need with the belief that, “food relief is not just a meal that keeps hunger away. It’s a plate of hope. It tells you in your darkest hour that someone, somewhere, cares about you,” according to the WCK website.  

Since the invasion began, WCK has been at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland serving hot meals to refugees. The group is now set up at eight separate border crossings. WCK is supporting local restaurants in eight Ukrainian cities including Odessa, Lviv and Kyiv. They are also in Romania, Moldova, Hungary and will soon be in Slovenia to help the refugees. 

If you would like more information or would like to donate to WCK, you can visit their website.  

Closer to home, the Ukrainian Association of Washington State and World Relief Seattle have support opportunities listed on their websites.   

Some folks are booking and paying for an Airbnb in Ukraine that they will not use. We have also heard of people leaving Yelp reviews at popular restaurants in Russia to explain what people are seeing outside of Russia to dispel any misinformation. 

However you decide to help, if you are donating, make sure you avoid fundraising scams. You should pick your own method to help and if you donate, research the charity before you pull out that credit card. Avoid charities that approach you: if you receive emails from them, check out the reply-to address and make sure it lines up with the name of the charity. 

Hopefully, this crisis will be short, and everyone will be safe at home soon.