December is the month when everyone sums up the results, and often these results are shared with the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya by partners with whom we have joint projects. And the result of the work of the food truck team within the framework of the "Food Truck. Food Without Borders" program is truly impressive – 462,257 portions of hot lunches prepared by tireless chefs and their assistants in 2025. 

The program "Food Without Borders", initiated by the NGO "Iskra Dobra", brought together Ukrainian businesses, domestic and foreign philanthropists, and volunteers in the areas where the mission operates in their desire to help the population affected by the war with food. The food truck didn't have a first working day, because the first was a working night on the way to its destination in the Kharkiv region. At that time, the food truck fed people in Poltava after russian shelling. In general, the mobile kitchen operates in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions, and its beneficiaries include evacuated residents of frontline settlements, emergency service specialists who worked to eliminate the consequences of enemy attacks, shelter residents, hospital patients, and citizens from vulnerable groups.

At the start of the project, the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya enlisted the help of its partner, the Association SAFE (France), which donated a powerful generator for the mobile kitchen. Later, SAFE reinforced the "Food Truck. Food Without Borders" mission with an additional car, and in July, a truckload of disposable tableware arrived from France to the Kharkiv region, which was used for a long time to pack delicious and nutritious hot meals. 

The idea and importance of the mobile kitchen's activities have united and continue to consolidate caring people in different countries. Throughout the year, the food truck's mission was financially supported by the Committee's Swiss partners – the Association "Network Switzerland – Transcarpathia / Ukraine" (NeSTU), Association "Parasolka" and the Charitable Foundation "NAK-Humanitas". At the same time, in October, NeSTU purchased and donated a food boiler and a freezer table for the humanitarian kitchen, which allowed it to increase its capacity and optimize its workspace. 

According to Oleh Bibikov, chef of the food truck, you can truly appreciate the value of a hot meal when you give it to someone who, for objective reasons, is unable to cook their favorite dishes at home.

"We worked both in normal mode and responded to emergencies... When we helped in Shostka, we fed people, thousands of whom were left without electricity, which meant they had no heat and no way to cook at home. Just yesterday, everything was relatively normal for you – you had your daily routine, plans for dinner and breakfast for the children, but today, perhaps the only way out of the situation is a hot meal brought by volunteers. It is even worse when it comes to evacuees – people who probably have nowhere to return to. We have systematically supported such people in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, and we also have similar experience in the Kherson and Chernihiv regions. It was especially touching when the locals we help came to support us. Grandmothers who brought us apples and pies or carried greens and cabbage... – such things are not forgotten. And when we cooked for emergency services and volunteers working at the arrival points, it was a little awkward to receive thanks from those who were risking their lives right then and there, until you realized that you were also at risk. But these thoughts usually came later. Our team clearly understood who we were working for and why, often without days off and always working overtime. A year of such work is behind us, and every day in the food truck was not wasted. Thank you to everyone who made our mission possible. I believe that next year we will be no less effective, but at the same time I hope for different circumstances, when there will be fair peace and security for everyone in Ukraine", says Oleh Bibikov.

The Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya would like to thank all partners who joined in supporting this socially important project. Today, the food truck is not only a mobile kitchen, but also a place for master classes for children, a meeting place for volunteers, and a point of invincibility and mutual support. We also thank the entire humanitarian mission team and wish us all that the chef's hopes for the new year come true.