Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, held a video call with world-renowned chef and founder of World Central Kitchen and the Longer Tables Fund, José Andrés.
The President’s wife thanked him for his decision to support the School Nutrition Reform in Ukraine. The Longer Tables Fund will help modernize three school kitchen facilities in the Kyiv and Lviv regions and in Chernihiv.
“These are not just kitchens, but, in reform terminology, hub kitchens. Hot meals prepared in these facilities will reach students not only in these institutions but, through fast delivery, will also be provided to children in a number of other schools. That's 29 institutions and over 6,500 students. I often visit schools personally and see how the reform works and how everything changes where a kitchen has been modernized. The food becomes better because the space is modern and clean, and everything is organized simply and clearly,” said the First Lady.
Olena Zelenska noted that modernizing school canteens and kitchens is the largest and most costly part of the reform. The state, together with local communities and international partners, is investing significant funds in this effort. Thanks to this, more than 1,600 school kitchens and canteens have already been comprehensively updated, with plans to modernize an additional 6,000.
The First Lady added that the goal of the reform is to provide all Ukrainian students with nutritious and high-quality meals. Currently, over 2 million children receive free school meals, including students in grades 1–4 and all schoolchildren in frontline regions. From September 1, the program is expected to cover all 3 million children studying in-person or in hybrid formats.