LVK's Mission to Provide Free Plant-Based Meals in Ukraine - Food for Thought
Dear Plant Futurists,
In our sixth edition of Food for Thought, we're taking you to Ukraine, where two remarkable sisters are on a mission to provide free plant-based meals to those in need. Their inspiring story has touched our hearts, and we're excited to share it with you.
Background on Lviv Vegan Kitchen (LVK)
LVK is a volunteer initiative that was launched in the wake of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. It started in February 2022, when a group of dedicated vegan activists decided to make a meaningful contribution by providing food relief for refugees in Lviv.
They later expanded their mission to support vegan soldiers, when they learned of a petition for vegan rations in the army, initiated by a vegan soldier, which garnered over 25,000 votes.
In addition to their relief efforts, they've launched a vegan education campaign promoting a compassionate lifestyle, and hosted numerous community events.
Their dedication and resilience are truly inspiring. Despite facing daily power outages, especially after massive missile strikes in October and November, LVK managed to continue their work using propane tanks, power generators, and even candles.
Interview with LVK Founders:
Oksana and Marta Ostrovska
Q: Why did you quit your jobs to start LVK?A: Prior to the war we were running a small family business - we produced handmade jewelry and home decor. We wanted to do whatever depended on us to help people, and it took full-time and even more to manage everything. Now, we balance our work in the kitchen with work at our small shop which is our main source of income. When we work in the kitchen we get the same small wage as our fellow workers and take no money for our management duties.
Q: What plant-based products have been hardest to get since the war started?A: Meat substitutes were hard to get, as the biggest Ukrainian producers stopped working. Facilities of the biggest one were destroyed by a missile strike, and one is located in a territory that has been occupied ... .Also, supplements - we have no vegan supplement producers here in Ukraine, so they were all imported and hard to get during the first few months of war.
Q: What are your favorite plant-based dishes that you serve?A: All kinds of plant-based meat substitutes from soy cutlet to seitan patties. Especially soy steak - mm, tasty.
Q: Do you feel safe in Lviv?A: It’s hard to call it safe, but we know it’s one of the safest regions compared to others. There have been far fewer missile strikes, and we never had Russian troops close to us. So, most of the time, we feel safer than we thought possible during the war - at least we can work, sleep in our beds, and there are many days without air alerts.
Q: What was your scariest moment since the war started?A: The missile strike in Lviv, one the 15th of August. Since evening we knew there were 14 aircrafts with missiles flying around, and all the channels in advance warned us the situation was going to be dead serious. At 4:02 AM there were air sirens all over Ukraine. By 5 AM missiles reached Lviv. I got dressed, closed the windows, woke up Martha and cats, and we moved to the entryway, which is the safest place in our apartment. At 5:08 there was an additional (uncompromising) message on Lviv air defense channel: “Take to your heels and run to the shelters! I need you all alive!” - and a couple of minutes after that we heard a huge explosion a couple hundred of meters from our place. For the next 20 minutes there were 6 or 8 explosions. There were screams and sounds of people running. I was barely able to move…waiting for the next “Attention!”which I know is going to be followed by an explosion - maybe miles away, maybe meters away. 15 people were injured. 100+ buildings damaged. And the one building that was damaged specifically badly (a missile left a 9 meter crater in the yard) is kindergarten. After a couple of hours of low-quality sleep we woke up to the new day in “one of the safest cities”. Woke up to our jobs, our families, and our duties towards victory.
Q: What foods do you send to plant-based soldiers?A: Usually, food with the longest expiration terms, and food that is easiest to cook or requires no cooking at all - dried soups and porridges, canned beans, protein bars, sweets, soy milk powder, sausages, and tofu.
Q: How do you ship food to soldiers and others?A: We mostly use the post. Surprisingly, it works even as close as a few kilometers to the frontline, and soldiers can go to the post office once in a while. But a few times we used a vehicle to deliver food and water to Bakhmut, for example.
Camp Stove cooking in winter blackout
A Call to Action
The LVK's current fundraising goal is to find 700 "Golden Members" who can contribute $7 USD per month. This support will help meet the kitchen’s $5,000 monthly operating budget in Lviv, and allow them to fulfill some of the 50,000 requests for help they've received, primarily from eastern Ukraine, where the fighting is most intense.
The Lviv Vegan Kitchen is one of the most inspiring stories unfolding in the plant-based world today. We at Plant Futures were deeply moved by their dedication, and we believe our community will be too. If you'd like to make a difference and support this incredible initiative, please consider becoming a Golden Member by clicking here.
Thank you for joining us on this journey to Ukraine and for your continued support in building a more compassionate world.
With gratitude,
The Plant Futures Team
