Charitable Organization "Charity Fund "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya" continues its partnership with the NGO "Iskra Dobra", in particular by supporting the mission "Food Without Borders".

As part of the mission, the food truck team is currently working in the Sumy region, feeding civilians affected by the war and rescuers serving in the region. This time, with the financial support of the Association "Network Switzerland – Transcarpathia / Ukraine" (NeSTU), we managed to purchase and deliver a food boiler and a freezer table for the needs of the mobile humanitarian kitchen. They have already been installed in the food truck.

Chef Oleh Bibikov talks about the benefits of the new equipment.

"This is our second visit to Sumy region, and this time we have much more work to do. The enemy's attacks have become more intense, so we had to expand the geography of our mission. For example, during the week, we also fed Shostka, where, due to attacks on the power grid, residents of non-gasified houses simply had no way to cook at home. Every day, traveling 500 km each way, we delivered 2,500 portions of hot meals to the locals. We distribute the same amount in Sumy and the surrounding communities. New equipment allows us to cook more and faster, so our target beneficiaries, who are evacuees, IDPs, and elderly people, now receive hot lunches faster. Thanks to the installation of a freezer table, we can increase the amount of meat stored directly in the food truck from 1,000 to 1,500 kilograms, and we have also saved space. This is very important because it has become more convenient for eight cooks to work, preparing thousands of portions of hot lunches every day", says Oleh Bibikov.

While we are talking to Oleh, people arrive at the food truck from the dormitory where elderly people evacuated from frontline settlements live. This is one of the facilities served by the mobile kitchen. The people have organized themselves and pick up hot meals on their own. Due to the deteriorating security situation near the food truck, food is no longer being distributed there. Instead, three distribution points with proper shelter have been set up through joint efforts. In addition, hot meals are provided to rescuers who have arrived in the Sumy region to reinforce their local colleagues.

Currently, the food truck team consists of eight cooks, including volunteers from Sumy, who help prepare food, register people, and distribute meals. 

"We often think of you here because, indeed, together we can do more. Extra hands and help with equipment always translate into support for people who often lose everything because of the war – their homes, comfortable living conditions, and familiar way of life, and often their relatives and friends. In such conditions, a hot home-cooked meal is much more than just food. We know this for sure; we can see it in people's words and eyes. That makes our work easier", emphasizes Oleh Bibikov.

As a reminder, in the summer, the food truck team worked in the Kharkiv region, where it fed evacuated citizens and emergency services specialists who were dealing with the aftermath of enemy shelling.