The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine has impelled many people to take to their social media accounts and raise both awareness and funds. Inspired by ‘Cook for Syria’, an initiative by the anonymous Instagram user @clerkenwellboyec1, Ukrainian chef and food writer Olia Hercules and Russian “food creative” Alissa Timoskina recently launched ‘Cook for Ukraine’, a campaign which aims to raise money for the children’s charity UNICEF to provide aid to children affected by the war.
Cook for Ukraine encourages people to cook Ukrainian dishes like cabbage rolls and dumplings, and donate to the campaign’s JustGiving page. People across the world have cooked, baked and shared photos of their food on Instagram with the hashtag #CookForUkraine. Many in the food and writing world have joined forces to support Hercules and Timoskina.
Timoskina took to Instagram to welcome Caroline Eden, a travel writer, to the campaign. Eden said: “What place does food - always life-giving and often joyful - have at a time of such shocking and bloody invasion? Perhaps more than you’d first think. Watching the news from afar, many of us feel sickened, helpless and unsure how to help. Cook for Ukraine is a way to channel your energies into helping raise money for people in desperate need, both those who are fleeing their homes in Ukraine and also those who need life-saving support inside the country.
I was last in Ukraine just three months ago, in the beautiful city of Lviv, reminded, once again, that many non-Ukrainians also made Ukraine’s greatest cities what they are: Russians, Poles, Jews, Armenians and even Italians in Odessa, as I discuss in my book Black Sea which begins in southern Ukraine. What happens to Ukraine affects all of us, so please do get involved.”
Cook for Ukraine even has its own Instagram page, where Hercules and Timoskina post photos of the efforts cooks and bakers have made. A user named Emily Halpern received a lot of praise for baking ornamental cookies inspired by the colours of Ukraine's flag. “Given that all of my grandparents fled WWII in Europe, it feels like my responsibility to help, in whatever feeble way I can,” Halpern wrote.
Restaurants in the UK have also offered their support. Soho House decided to add a Ukrainian dish to menus at all its restaurants across the world, and Burger & Lobster is donating £2 from every bill throughout March.
Cook for Ukraine is a live example of how food can unite people even in diversity. So far, the campaign has succeeded in raising £94,951.