Chef helps feed Ukrainian refugees
Area resident Jason Hook traveled to Poland to volunteer with World Central Kitchen
Jason Hook is no stranger to feeding people.
Through his business, H2O Kitchen, and various other jobs he’s held over his more than two-decade career, the West Lawn chef has spent a lot of time preparing meals for weddings, parties and corporate events.
But recently, he used his skills in the kitchen in a completely different way.
Instead of serving up dishes in a fancy ballroom, he was making food that would be served beneath hastily erected tents. And instead of patrons eating in fancy suits and gowns, those he was feeding wore the dirty clothes and weary faces of refugees fleeing a violent conflict.
For seven days at the beginning of the month, Hook volunteered his services to World Central Kitchen, as the nonprofit organization provided meals for those who had fled from war-torn Ukraine into Poland.
Hook traveled to Poland with his friend and fellow chef, Corey Richards, who works in Philadelphia. He said the pair were familiar with the mission of World Central Kitchen for years and held its creator, Jose Andres, in high esteem.
“He is a great guy who is doing wonderful things,” Hook said. “But I think the best part about World Central Kitchen is that they are helping to feed people in the middle of these crises while also helping the local farmers that would otherwise go under.”
Knowing the organization was operating to help Ukrainian refugees, Hook and Richards saw the perfect opportunity to use their abilities in the kitchen for something positive.
“I had been watching what was happening over there and wanted to help,” he said. “And the best way for me to help was to use my skills as a chef to cook hot meals for these people who are fleeing a horrible situation.”
World Central Kitchen is a nonprofit specializing in feeding people affected by disasters and crises. It is operating in about 100 cities in Ukraine and in neighboring countries that continue to take in refugees fleeing the fighting.
The first step in Hook’s and Richards’ volunteering with the organization was finding a way to get to Poland.
They decided that April would be the best time to go since there’s typically a bit of a break in their busy schedules between Valentine’s Day and Easter and created a GoFundMe account to help pay for travel expenses.
Hook said they were overwhelmed by the support they received from more than 80 friends and family, reaching their goal in just one week.
Hook and Richards departed for Poland on April 1. They flew into Warsaw and stayed overnight in a hotel before renting a car to take them to Przemysl, the site of a World Central Kitchen food production facility about 3 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Because so many refugees were flooding into Poland, Hook said they were prepared to sleep in the car if it came to that. But thankfully, they found lodging at a hotel about 45 minutes away from the kitchen.
Hook said that when they arrived at the site he was amazed and impressed with the work World Central Kitchen was doing. The organization aims to make and distribute 10,000 meals a day at each site it operates.
Those meals include staples like sandwiches, healthy soups and hearty stews, as well as fresh fruits and breads filled with grains. They also serve rolled pork with spinach, ramen, sweet porridge, baby food and hot chocolate.
“It was a lot of hot soups and stews that we would pack full of vegetables and grains,” he said. “The goal was to create hearty and wholesome meals that were full of nutrients.”
The food was made in a warehouse the organization had converted into a kitchen in just a matter of days. It was then taken to a site for distribution along the border as refugees streamed in from Ukraine.
“I couldn’t believe how well organized it was for how fast they set up and how much they are able to produce in a space that was not a kitchen,” he said. “It was really impressive.”
Hook said there was a small team employed by the organization that helped make sure things were running smoothly and guiding those without culinary backgrounds — which made up more than half of the volunteers — to help on sandwich lines and food production.
“That was another thing that was so impressive,” he said. “We were trying to serve all these meals each day, so it could have become very stale. But everyone was so excited to be there every day and ready to do their best.”
Hook said they typically started their day in the kitchen at 7 a.m. and worked about 12 hours before returning to the hotel. Then they would get up and do it all over again.
“It was a full day, but it went by so fast because everyone was just rallying,” he said. “There was always that goal that we were trying to reach and the ingredients we received each day would vary so we had to make some adjustments because of that.”
Hook said he spent most of his time in the kitchen, since that was where he could be of most service. But he did venture to the distribution site along the border a few times and was in awe of what he saw there.
“The first time we went to the border it amazed me at how many different organizations had tents set up to help,” he said. “It was a very sad situation to see all these people with nowhere to go. It’s horrible. These people are looking for a safety net. You wonder how something like this could even happen.”
Hook said he was inspired by how many groups had gathered to help the refugees in addition to World Central Kitchen, explaining that there were organizations from all over the world represented at the gate along the border. Some were handing out blankets to families, some were giving away teddy bears to children, some were helping to relocate family members that may have become separated on the journey to Poland.
Hook said he took away an overwhelming sense of need to be there as he saw people struggling to find the most essential needs like a hot meal and a warm bed. And to see all those people wanting to help provide that support was an experience he said he will never forget.
“I felt like I made a difference,” he said. “But it was really strange leaving because we knew that this is not going to be over anytime soon for those people.”
Hook said that his company, H2O Kitchen, supports many causes and contributes to benefits held by the Reading Public Library, Hope Rescue Mission and the Olivet Boys & Girls Club each year at home. But his time in Poland was different.
“I will continue to support our local community in the future, but this felt more tangible because you see the immediate impact that you have,” he said. “And it was more communal in a sense because this was not done on our own — this was a result of everyone that came together to support the cause.”
Hook said his mission now that he has returned to the U.S. is figuring out what he can do to bring more awareness to the mission of the World Central Kitchen in the hope that others might want to also contribute to the worthy cause.